Demon Battle Rises
by Kiha717
Summary: When Gash Bell realizes he can no longer continue being king of Demon World, he makes the heart wrenching choice to send 100 demon children to Earth. Among them is Tsumi, a young child leery of fighting and his partner Kimiko, a kind soul with no friends and a beaten personality. However, together, along with your OCs, they will take this battle and prove their worth. Open Acceptin
1. Introduction

Hello there, old and new readers. I'm Kiha717 for those of you who don't know and for those of you who do, I am sorry about being gone for so long but I'm hoping to be able to bring you back into this story. I am excited to write and rerelease a Gash Bell fanfiction with OCs of mind and yours. Now I need you to note that being the owner of this fanfiction I do have the team that will win the demon battle, but I will need you to help out by giving us amazing friends, one chapter or two characters or fun baddies to take down. If you have any other questions, just get into contact with me and I'll reply soon enough. But anyways, if you have a character to send in, just fill this out and if you have an old character, please resend him or her if they haven't been seen in the story yet.

Fill this out if you are sending in a character and if your person has no demon, just fill in the human parts.

-Profile for Bookreader and Demon-

Name of Demon:

Age:

Appearance:

Parents:

Siblings:

Sexuality:

Coupling (Of course this will be decided later):

Personality:

Bookreader:

Book Color:

Spells:

Past:

Name of Bookreader:

Age:

Appearance:

Parents:

Siblings:

Sexuality:

Coupling (Of course to be decided later):

Personality:

Demon Partner:

Past:

Lives in:

School they attend:

Bond between Bookreader and Demon:

How they met one another:

Good or Evil:

Book Burned How (Only if you want to decide, otherwise I will make the choice for you):

Are they together when introduced:

Anything else important need to be said:

And let's meet my two characters, your main protagonists and heroes!

Name of Demon: Tsumi

Age: 9

Appearance: He had pale grey skin and soft purple eyes. His hair is a black purple color and quite longs, bangs that drift in the wind sometimes. He stands at about 4 foot 7 inches and wears a black body suit, purple-black cloak and purple shoes on his feet. He has a scar on his left cheek he has had since he was a baby and has small white fangs. When he goes to sleep he wears a white wife-beater and light blue shorts and pajamas

Parents: Unknown Mother and (Unknown to him) Brago

Siblings: None

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Coupling? (To be decided): Sure (Claim if you want)

Personality: He is a very sweet boy, a curiousity about the human world welled up inside him. However, he truely wonders about his parents and whose blood runs through his veins. He can be a very mature child when Kimiko needs him to be and knows when to talk and when to be quiet. He is loyal and sticks to his morals when in battle he is strong and protective.

BookReader: Kimiko Isahowa

Book Color: Dark Purple

Spells:

Rachido- A blast of poison mist and gunk is shot from his mouth at the foe

Rerano- A sheild is formed around them and spins around the caster for powerful protection

Rokuryo- A rather large shuriken with a poisoned tip is given to him, which is to be thrown

Zunsapen- A serpent made of poison is shot from the mouth at the foe, very powerful

Karoataka- A shot of adrenelin is given to the boy, he breifly has amazing power in every punch thrown but this attack takes quite a bit of heart energy

Ranohe- This spell changes the boy quite a bit, he grows to 5 foot 4 inches and gains ninja like wear. He is given some weapons as well. The only problem is he may loose his sense and go on a rampage

Koronaji- A sword of poison is given to the boy, the sword will only be able to remain in the battle for five minutes

Rekiga- If he is given energy from allies, this spell will be able to give him the ability to shoot a poison ray from his hands. Without it, the spell is only a ray of Rachido

GiganoZunsapen- A much larger Zunsapen is created, equipped with giant fangs

Kinopa- This spell gives the boy the ability to foresee three attacks shot from the foe, this attack can only be used once in battle and lasts only ten minutes

Renfuku- This is Rekiga only doubled and does not need as much of the energy from allies

Zundoragon- A huge and bloodthirsty poison dragon is shot from the mouth. It is quite hard to control but amazingly powerful

Past: Tsumi was raised by his parents until he was four when his mother died. His father was so stunned that he abandoned his son and disapeared. Tsumi managed to make it by himself and managed to make friends with Gash who was the king of the demon world. He was placed in the battle because Gash believed he had amazing potential. Tsumi had few friends.

Name of BookReader: Kimiko Isahowa

Age: 15

Appearance: She had the typical build for a freshmen girl, standing at 5 foot 6 inches and weighing 96 pounds. She has long brown hair that goes down to her chest and has hazel eyes. She wears a white dress shirt with a blue blazer and black tie, a black skirt that goes mid-calf and black dress shoes with white socks. She wears a white nightgown when she goes to sleep

Parents: Jeri Isahowa and Deceased Father

Siblings: Azusa (10) and Taiki (2) Isahowa

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Coupling? (To be decided): Yes (If you want her, take her)

Personality: Kimiko is very shy and quiet when first meeting a person but after a while of talking she will warm up to a person. She is caring and will put others, especially people she cares for and good people, before herself. She is quick thinking and can come up with good stratagies for battle only a while into a fight

Partner: Tsumi

Past: Kimiko's family moved around a lot when she was a little girl and by the time she settled in Hokkaido she did not know anybody and grew a bit distant. She was very close to her father and when he passed away she pushed most people away from her. She has few friends and can come across as cold or lonely depending on a person's view on her

Lives in: Hokkaido

School: Seki High School

Bond between Book Reader and Demon: They are very close, having a compassion for one another and a drive to help one another reach their goals. Neither will hesitate to protect the other with their life being risked. The two trust one another greatly and would never betrey the other. However, they do have their fair share of arguements and disagreements. There are times where they will not speak or one with torment the other, but all will be solved soon enough

How they met one another: Tsumi was out on the streets, exausted and hungry, desperate to find his book owner. He was showing a lot of people even though it was pouring rain and he soon grew exausted. When Kimiko came into view, he went to go ask her and lost conciousness in her arms. The girl was stunned but took him home and helped him feel better. When she was drying his clothing, she found the book and that is when both found out she was the bookreader

Good or Evil: Good

Book Burned How (Only if wanted to decide by self{otherwise I will choose}): Only book not to be burned

Are they already together when first introduced: No

Anything else important that needs to be said: Tsumi loves to travel while Kimiko hates airplanes. The both will gladly help anybody who is good and if you are evil and become good, they might give you a chance.


	2. A Meeting in the Rain? Tsumi and Kimiko

_I know, I know, long time no see and why did you delete this story two months ago? I'm sorry, I went through an Rping fiasco and at the time I figured the best thing to do would be to delete my Fanfiction account, which you can see didn't work very well. All of my other stories probably won't be back, but I was watching some anime recently and I remembered this story and figured I should try to bring it to life one last time. If you're an old reader of mine and you never met your character in this story, PLEASE resend him/her because I've sadly lost their data if you placed them in a review. _

_Just so you know, I will be releasing a new chapter every day I can until I go on vacation, which is this weekend. From there I am gone for three weeks, which gives me time to see if I should indeed revive this story. If it does well, Demon Battle Rises will make a comeback, if not, well we'll think about that when the time is more appropriate._

_So, without further ado, let's dig back in to the revised first chapter of an old fanfiction I do regret deleting, but am thrilled I saved. Enjoy,_

_xKiha_

* * *

Gash did not want to do this.

What he had to do was the one thing he had fought against one thousand years ago and why he wanted to become king. Now he was getting old and his time of being able to rule the demon world was growing short. He was horribly stressed and he was afraid of making the wrong choice, running his hand through his short and thinning blond hair with frustration.

"Gash."

The demon king turned to see Tio, his lovely wife, walking into the main room with a worried look upon her face as she took a step closer to him. "Gash, are you alright?"

All the aged man could do was shake his head, unable to explain just how he was feeling in that moment with normal words. Tio already knew though, walking to Gash's side and saying. "I know this is going to be hard, but we know there is no other choice."

"You do not think I don't know that!?" Gash shouted as his fist smashed into the arm of the throne he was sitting on, surprised by the volume of his voice and checking to make sure he didn't break the chair. "I do not mean to yell, it is just that the thought of putting one hundred children through another demon battle hurts me greatly. We fought against this, almost lost one another trying to stop it from ever happening to another set of kids."

Tio nodded, her voice caring and understanding. "I know it is, but there is no other way." Taking his hand and cradling it in her own two palms. "You only need to choose the proper children who can bring a future to the demon world. Choose only those who you believe deserve it."

The king sighed, a soft look in his eyes. "That is what I shall be doing." Tio smiling warmly and saying. "That is the Gash I know."

Deep in his heart, Gash Bell knew there was no other choice and he was going to be doing what he had to. Yet he promised himself to not force any demon into the battle, that the children who would go would all be chosen because they deserved to be in the competition. Well almost all of them, one child was an exception.

This boy was not too keen on fighting, but Gash had known this child for quite a while and could see the potential hidden beneath his innocent eyes. This child would be sent to the human world no matter how much he whined or tried to convince the king otherwise.

Gash would never regret that choice and the child would forever be grateful.

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_'I do not belong, or at least I feel like something is not right with me. That I am missing something about myself, that I am not doing something I need to. Oh, everybody in class is giving me that weird look again. They're all looking at me! I'm already panicking and they all know it, they know I'm a coward...and they think it's funny.'_

Kimiko sat in the Freshman class 3-D of Seki High School with her attention on the window separating her and the cold rain, she felt people's eyes on her. This was only normal; everybody in the school had already been friends and knew everyone else well. By the time she transferred to Seki it was too late. Or at least it felt that way when she found herself alone for most of the time.

Something continued to stick in her mind that felt haunting, a dream she had the night before. A dream that she could still vividly remember and picture. Everything had felt so real that it almost felt like a memory, but that could not be. She was sure none of that had ever happened to her, after all she was still fifteen in that dream.

What she had seen; it had been a child. It was a child with a smile on his lips and tears of joy in his eyes, leaving trails of water down his thin cheeks. She had not seen proper features of this little boy, all she had seen was his shadowed body and face with emotions owning it. All the child had done was cry with joy while repeating her name over and over in a soft and yet overjoyed tone. For whatever reason it was, this made Kimiko want to cry as well; but these tears were of sadness instead of the joy the kid was crying for. She swallowed, afraid of emotionally responding to this confusing memory once more, finding that even still, this made her want to cry.

"Isahowa, Kimiko Isahowa."

The girl turned to see her teacher, standing up and avoiding the looks of all her fellow peers. "Yes?" All eyes were on her, people that did not know her and believed her to be anti-social staring hatefully while she trembled. Others who had met her and managed to meet the shy side began giggling, joking against Kimiko with their eager to listen friends.

The teacher only smiled to her in an encouraging way, gently saying. "I want you to solve this problem."

Kimiko stared at the board, oh she hated math. "Okay." Staring at the problem as her cheeks flushed. She did not want to make a mistake, taking a while to try to figure out the problem as her fellow peers only watched and began to snicker at the girl struggling. Kimiko taking a little while to think everything through before meekly whispering. "The answer is one hundred seventeen point five."

"Actually, the answer is one hundred eighteen point six, but you were very close."

The girl blushed madly with embarrassment, looking at the floor as she sat down. The people around her began to snicker as they watched the girl place her head down, burying her face in her trembling arms with humiliation boiling inside of her.

'I only wish I had a reason to be here. That there was a reason I am living this life and why I should even try to keep going at this point.'

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_'I need to hurry, if I don't then something bad is going to happen! I'll get beaten before the battle even begins! Then they'll all just going to keep thinking that I'm that little baby that hold my own. B-But, they might be right, I really could be that baby. Because if I'm honest, the thing I really want to do is quit.'_

Tsumi, a young demon child, stood in the rain soaked to the skin. He was cold and exhausted and yet he knew he had to find his book partner by what he wished to be the end of the day. As a demon alone in the world all he could do was find the person who could read his book before anything else. He did not remember how long ago this battle had begun or even how long he had been in the human world. All he felt was fear and panic as he tried to race against time to find the only human he would need to rely on.

"Please, could you look at this?" The boy said, holding out the dark purple book he had been given before he was sent to this cursed place. "Could you take a look at this?" People only passed or stared at a few of the pages for a moment before stating that they could not. Failure was what he felt.

Tsumi did not even want any part in this battle; he had no interest in fighting for a crown he felt he could never deserve. However, the king had always been a friend of the boy's and had almost forced him onto the list of one hundred demon children to be sent to Earth. The child had eventually given up on arguing against him and soon woke up in Japan all on his own.

"Get out of the street kid!"

The demon child was shoved by a high school boy, falling into a puddle of water dirtied by passing cars and bicycles. His wide eyes only stared at the laughing group of teenagers, holding his book close to his chest and beginning to whimper.

One of the high school boys snickering, seeming to take a bit of pleasure in Tsumi's pain, voice a deep taunting mess. "Look at the little kid, where are your parents? Did they leave you all on your own?"

'They're dead.' Tsumi thought, biting onto his lip as he turned from them. If any of them were his readers he had no interest in this fight, figuring the rational decision would then be to simply burn through the pages or begging another demon to destroy him.

"What are you doing?" Another said, watching the boy walk away from them, going and standing in the spot he had been in before he had been pushed. "Go home kid!" Tsumi refusing to even give them a glimpse, shivering in his soaking cloak.

"He is not worth our time. Let's get going."

The boy waited until he was sure the high school boys were gone to sit on a curb and bury his head in his knees with a whimper and a gentle sniffle. He was even more frightened than ever, he wasn't strong or anything and now he was wet and lost. Could this get worse?

_'I need to find them soon, my time is running out.'_

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Kimiko was grateful that she had actually brought an umbrella with her just in case of rain, leaving the school all alone as she always did. She had a few things on her mind, remembering that she needed to pick up a few things at the store for her mother.

Walking through the streets of Hokkaido with her umbrella over her body, glad she was dry as the rain pelted the ground under her, seeming to almost hum a sad melody for the people unlucky enough to be pelted with the falling water.

A shadow suddenly began to get much closer to her, a figure stumbling on the sidewalk in her direction. "A child?" The girl whispered to herself in a bit of confusion.

Sure enough, it was a little boy headed in her direction.

Even thought he was not close enough for Kimiko to see him in detail she knew he was exhausted just by the way he carried his weight. Not to mention that he was soaking wet, his shivers causing his balance to be very off as he tried to walk up to her as quickly as he could.

This sight worried the girl who began to wonder what type of parent would allow their child outside and alone in such weather. Obviously not proper parents, but were they not worried? Kimiko herself had younger siblings and she would never allow them to do such a thing in fear of them getting sick or even lost.

However, as the boy got closer the teenager noticed that he had an eager look on his exhausted face; he was excited maybe thrilled to see her even though they had never met before.

She stopped as he got closer, inspecting the child. He wore a black body suit and a dark purple almost black cloak with dark purple shoes. His skin was a pale grey color, his eyes a soft purple full of life. He stood at the height of an elementary school student, a dark purple book in his small hands.

"Miss!" The exhausted boy said as he finally caught up with her, trying to keep his balance while he stood up straight, continuing to tremble. "Could you...could you please take time to see if you can rea-."

To the shock of Kimiko, the child fell to the ground right before her. She knew he had been tired but that felt too much. He was suffering badly if he was exhausted enough to collapse on the street at the feet of a complete stranger.

"You poor thing." The girl whispered, bending down and picking up the child. His parents were no doubt careless and probably did not worry about their son but she was concerned. "I guess you will be coming home with me, I can't just leave you here on the street in this kind of weather."

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_'Ugh, where am I? What is this place?'_

Tsumi opened his eyes, knowing something was different just by the warmth this space was giving off. He found himself laying on a white futon in a red bedroom. Close to the futon was a bed dressed with a red duvet with black floral patterns and a black dresser and side table close by.

How could this be?

The last memory he had was trying to give his book to a nice looking girl wearing a High School uniform. Did he ever give her his book? If so, was she just another useless person or was she able to read it? Oh, did he just loose his one true partner?

His book!

The boy was in shock after thinking that through, leaping out of the futon and beginning to search the room in a frenzy. This was not a good thing, if she had his book she might be put into danger. Demons would probably assume she was his book reader, and if she wasn't she'd be forced to pay a price for something she was never involved in in the first place.

'All because of me.' Tsumi thought, beginning to worry about what could happen.

That is when the door to this room opened, Kimiko seeing the child in utter panic. "Looks like you are awake and lively."

The boy released a dresser drawer he had started to open, nodding softly. All of a sudden he began to have a more innocent and shy quality to him. "Uh-huh."

"I am glad." The girl said, walking over to the boy and kneeling so they were eye-level. She had a worried look in her hazel eyes. "Are you okay?" Placing her hands on his forehead and cheeks to check for a fever, finding that he wasn't alarmingly warm to her relief.

"Yes, I am much better now." He slowly whispered, gazing down at his feet.

Kimiko smiled only for a moment before saying softly. "Where are your parents?"

The boy blinked, unable to come up with the perfect lie right there on the spot. "My parents are gone for the weekend." His voice quiet and soft.

"I see." The teenager replied, frowning to herself before turning to the boy and placing her hand on the top of his head and smiling. "Well, looks like you will be staying with me for a while then, or at least until they come back to get you. My name is Kimiko."

Tsumi was a bit shocked, she not only bought the lie he had told, but she had also decided until his 'parents' returned he would be in her care. Could she even do something like that? Whatever the case was, this girl was different from others and he was not sure exactly why. "M-My name is Tsumi."

"Well Tsumi, you will be staying here for a while." Kimiko stood up, smiling as she sat on the bed close to what he know assumed would be his futon.

The boy nodded, sitting down before his previous thought line returned to his mind. She must have had his book! "Um, Kimiko?"

"Yes?"

The demon child wrung his hands together, blinking nervously. "I had a book when you found me, do you...do you know where that book is?"

"Yeah." The teenage girl replied, comfortably lying down on her bed with a sigh of satisfaction. "What was with all of those funny characters? I..."

Tsumi took in a breath, beginning to lay down on the futon. So she was not his book reader after all. The boy felt both disappointed and relieved that this nice girl would not have to suffer while fighting alongside him. It was a good thing, right?

"I do have one question. How come I can only read that little bit that's dark purple instead of violet and what is this first spell?"

The demon child's world crashed down in that moment, whimpering as he shook his head and refused to show that this meant anything at all. This was not what he wanted, he did not even want to be sent into such a thing and yet here he was now.

Before him stood Kimiko, a person willing to bring a wet and strange child to her home only because she worried about him. He did not want to put her though something like this, it would be too much to watch and for him to allow.

"It's nothing, just a book I like to read from a foreign nation."

To protect this person, he was going to lie right to her trusting face and hope that every time she would believe him. He was not sure where this would get him, but this is what he would do just to protect her from the daunting truth that shielded him down. He only could see Kimiko getting hurt, see her going through a lot of suffering and pain only because he was her one true partner. To watch her suffer because he was here to fight for the royal lifestyle, because she agreed to help him only because he wanted to accomplish it.

"Oh, I wonder what language it is then." Kimiko said gently, watching the ceiling. "Probably somewhere very far away."

"Yeah, it's almost impossible to see it or get to there."

Tsumi swallowed, demon world and the secret of the book would have to remain under lock and key. It was the only way. He'd stay until she thought he would go back home and then he'd quit, he'd find and demon and allow himself to be destroyed.

The last thing Tsumi ever wanted to be was a burdon.


	3. I Need You to Read the Spellbook

_Hey readers! Already we have the second chapter being posted, which will bring you into the first fight our two protagonists go through together and the chance to see what the first spell, along with what type of attacks Tsumi has. _

_As I said last time, I will be leaving for a three week period on the 29th and I will probably not be back until around the last week of July and during this period I have no access to the internet at all. This means that if you would like to see your character in the upcoming Zofis like arc, send them in as soon as possible. If you've submitted before, send me a pm to make sure I have your character saved in my files._

_Anyways, other than that enjoy the second chapter of Demon Battle Rises._

_xKiha_

* * *

_"Why is this happening!"_

_Tsumi bit into his lip with ferocity, strong and tiny white fangs slowly pressing into the soft skin of his delicate lower lip. Facing the demon child and his book reader that had become his enemies with Kimiko panicking beside him left the child absolutely horrified. He had nothing to say that would cover up what had just happened to them both, but he still wasn't thrilled to meet her eyes, seeing that she was seeking answers just by the look inside the brown irises._

_To tell her that she could and should be doing the same thing right then felt so heavy, holding his book close to his chest. He drew in a breath, turning to her and softly saying. "Kimiko...I need you to read the first passage."_

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"Tsumi!"

The little demon boy forced his eyes open, not wanting to awake yet as the sun began to glisten in the gentle creases of his thin eyelids. A soft and exhausted grunt left his lips, tiny hands going up and slowly rubbing his eyes before the little demon boy finally blinked and was allowed sight. Above his futon stood the already dressed Kimiko, the girl giving him a soft and comforting smile. "Good morning little man."

"K-Kimiko." Rubbing at his eyes much more furiously before softly forcing himself to smile to her.

"Well, it's Sunday afternoon, so we should probably bring your back to your family today. You said they would be coming back home today, right?"

The demon child felt a sudden burst of nervousness fill his body as he shifted on the futon, remembering all of those lies he had been telling her. For the past two days he had been sleeping over at Kimiko's household, her little siblings more than thrilled to have another friend around them. Her mother seemed to understand when Kimiko pulled her to the side, letting him spend time in her house and acting rather hospitable towards him even though they were only strangers. Of course he was grateful for all of this and even managed to forget all of his troubles for a short while, but as he should have remembered, it couldn't stay so good.

She still thought he had parents to go back to even though there was no way even if he did have a set of parents that they would be able to come and pick him up, even though he'd be constantly wishing they could. "Oh, yeah."

The girl sat down and only then did Tsumi notice that she was wearing a very different outfit, a white t-shirt with a blue X around the chest and denim capri pants. She just looked comfortable and he couldn't help but feel a bit out of place when he pulled on his body suit and cloak. She seemed to be casual, not caring too much about if she looked pretty or not, just wanting to dress as she felt like. While he on the other hand, was only wearing the clothing he had been brought over in, which the more he began to interact with humans, the more he hated the cloak. He had yet to see a human not stare at him with confusion or a giggle for what he was wearing.

However, a lot of teenagers around Kimiko's age seemed to enjoy calling him names like, "goth" or "emo", both of which he couldn't define but knew had a negative connotation.

"Hey, Kimiko."

The teenager directed her attention to her own little friend, smiling sweetly as she watched him pull his shoes on and then pull his book close. "Yeah?"

Tsumi thought about how he was supposed to tell her. Somehow, 'hey I'm actually a demon' or 'I lied, my parents aren't even alive and that book is actually used for battle', just didn't feel right. His fangs sinking into his lower lip, a rather bad habit he had carried with him since he was back in diapers which managed to leave scars covering almost every inch of the inside of his lower lip.. "Well...Oh, never mind, I forgot what I was going to say."

She gave him a lopsided look but just couldn't find anything to say in return when she saw the very serious look on his face, figuring he had something heavy on his mind right now. "Alright, if you say so, but is something wrong?"

"No, no of course not. I'm perfect."

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Tsumi gave Kimiko a nervous look, inhaling the scents of the salty sea air of Hokkaido. The both of them were walking through the small city together, Kimiko believing that they were going off to the parent's place while they were doing nothing of the sorts and instead were both walking to who knows where thanks to the directions Tsumi was making up as they went along.

The demon child clasped the book close to his chest, unable to find any words as he just followed behind her.

"Hey," The little boy blinking as he was introduced to the voice of Kimiko, looking up into her hazel eyes. "I woke you up late so you skipped breakfast and lunch. How about I buy you a crepe real quick?"

Opening his mouth to protest really didn't work for young Tsumi, his stomach growling much too loud for the boy to even consider refusing it anymore while the teenager only laughed. "I guess that decides that!"

So the both of them ended up with crepes soon enough, Kimiko with banana and Tsumi with chocolate. The girl just seemed so happy to be with him, smiling in a trusting manner that managed to make the demon sick, they couldn't be partners. But, being a demon who refused let his book reader even touch the key to their partnership, what more could he do? Holding his purple book under his right arm while holding the warm and sugary crepe in his trembling left hand.

'What if she hates me when this is all over? She's going to find out even if I don't want her too, it's not like I can just fake a family and go into some random house. This has to end…there's no other way…'

Well, a least Kimiko seemed to be enjoying herself as the two continued on.

'He's just not doing any better.' Kimiko narrowing her eyes with concentration as she walked alongside the little boy. 'He just looks scared, like I've done something wrong or I am doing something I don't know about…'

While lost in thought she failed to notice another person, a boy about a year above her locking eyes for only a moment. His eyes a cold silver as he sent his own thick and powerful shoulder into the girl's shoulder, knocking her to her knees in only a moment. This barely gave her time to react, her barely touched crepe hitting the ground in a matter of seconds and splattering on the pavement in a mess of whipped cream and banana slices.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" The girl turned to apologize, bowing as her brown satchel slipped down her shoulder and the silver eyed boy took no time in reacting. Before the somewhat clueless girl could even move, her satchel full of valuables was grabbed and pulled away from her. "W-What are you doing!"

The silver eyed stranger laughed in a tone that could only be described as somewhat demonic if not satanic, the girl letting out a stunned shout as the boy turned and just began running through the busy streets.

"Sorry, Tsumi." A suddenly rash and impulsive look in Kimiko's eyes as she looked to the young boy, shifting her jaw. "I really don't want to lose that satchel. You just stay put; I'll be back in a few minutes. I promise, I'll be back very soon."

Without even giving the boy time to reply to confirm he understood or to protest that he didn't want to be left alone the teenager took off after the stranger.

'I can't just let her go by her own, what if it's dangerous?" The demon child unable to think of anything else, after all she is the stranger who wasn't afraid to let me into her house only because she cared about me.

So he broke out into a run to follow behind her and being a demon it honestly wasn't super hard to find himself on her tail as the girl gave him a somewhat irritated look as the both of them continued after the stranger. "I told you to stay put, Tsumi."

"I-I won't let you face a bad guy alone, you might need me!"

For a moment Kimiko hesitated, the girl drawing in a breath before nodding. "Okay, okay. But, be very careful, Tsu, I don't want anything to happen to you. Not when I still have a family to bring you back to."

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The teenager stopped in the middle of a currently abandoned soccer field, the two humans locking eyes for a moment before the silver eyed boy laughed. "That was fun." Then throwing Kimiko back her satchel, the girl managing to catch it with her shaking hands and giving him a confused look as the boy continued to laugh. "Of course, if anything, all you want to know is why I could take your bag in the first place."

"Well, a bit." Kimiko muttered, Tsumi standing beside her as he clasped the book to his chest.

"I am surprised you haven't figured it out." The boy laughing as he slowly reached into his bag and pulled out a silver spell book. "I want to burn your book so I can get stronger."

_'Great, now he's going to bring her into the battle.'_ Tsumi tried to remain quiet as he pulled his spell book even closer to his chest.

"Battle?"

Oh she did it now, the silver eyed teenager cocking his head to show he didn't understand why she was confused. "Part of the demon battle, burning one another's books until only one is left and they become the next demon king?"

"Tsumi?" The girl turned to the little boy, frowning softly while her hazel eyes begged him for an explanation to this newfound information.

The little boy couldn't find his voice, clenching the book closer and squeezing his eyes shut while Kimiko whispered his name once more to show she still was wanting the answers he had been trying to hide, that she was needing a real answer to explain why she hadn't been told any of this apparently very valuable information.

"Well, if your little friend won't tell you what's going on, I'll just show you."

The teenager smiled, snapping his fingers as a young boy around Tsumi's age walked over to the teenager's side. His hair a long tangled mess of jet black, eyes just as silver as his book reader's. "Now?"

"What are you doing?" Kimiko backed up, her voice gaining an octave and pitch as she looked from the silver eyed duo as the reader opened their book. "Tsumi!"

The demon child only whimpered, not wanting to say a word as the boy held out his right hand. "Janduro!"

In a flash there was a glow of light, the little boy shooting a rather large metal ball out of his hands. Kimiko letting out a shout of fear as Tsumi pushed her out of the way and took in a deep breath when the ball missed them and struck the ground behind them both.

"What's going on!" Kimiko's face growing pale as she turned around to see the attack's result, whimpering when she studied the iron ball now where she once has been. "Why is this happening?"

Tsumi bit into his lip with ferocity, strong and tiny white fangs slowly pressing into the soft skin of his delicate lower lip. Facing the demon child and his book reader that had become his enemies with Kimiko panicking beside him left the child absolutely horrified. He had nothing to say that would cover up what had just happened to them both, but he still wasn't thrilled to meet her eyes, seeing that she was seeking answers just by the look inside the brown irises.

To tell her that she could and should be doing the same thing right then felt so heavy, holding his book close to his chest. He drew in a breath, turning to her and softly saying. "Kimiko...I need you to read the first passage."

"The first passage?"

He nervously handed over the book, the teenager blinking as he opened if to the first page for her while the first spell glowed a violet color. "He's right, I'm one of a hundred demon children sent to the human world to fight. We are fighting to choose a new king of our world, the key is the books. Just like the one you are holding, each demon child comes with a spell book and only one human can read the book and unlock the demon's power. The demon's book is the most important thing, because once it is damaged it will start to burn and once it begins to burn, the demon child fades away and returns to the demon world. The last one standing becomes the king."

The girl trembled, getting to her feet as she held the book tight. "Is that okay with you, to fight with me?" Her eyes diverting. "I know I'm not all that strong, but if we're supposed to be chosen partners and I can help you become a king, I know I want to be able to give you my all."

He couldn't believe it at first, that she was offering to be his fighting partner as he forced himself to nod uncertainty. "Yeah. As long as you don't mind, it's going to be hard and anything but pretty. This fight has been said to be violent and bloody, harsh and able to shape a demon into what the hard and unfeeling world has chosen for them."

Kimiko smiled to the little boy, nodding. "Of course."

Tsumi swallowed his emotions, unable to find any words as he got to his feet and held out his hands. "Then read the spell!"

The teenager drew in a breath, staring at the page which was glowing with pure power. "Alright!" Slowly shaking away all of her fear before the spell's name left her lips. "Rachido!"

The little demon boy clenched his eyes, waiting for the surge of power to leave his body but found that nothing did. The silver eyed demon and his book reader bursting into laughter as they managed to process what just happened. "Your spells don't even work!"

Kimiko of course looked right to Tsumi, the little boy blinking with uncertainty as he softly said. "That should have worked, after all this is only the first spell, nothing major or legendary about the first spell..."

Well they honestly had no time to react because the silver eyed duo quickly sent another metal ball at them, Tsumi panicking as he noticed they were not after him but his reader, racing after the ball and taking a hit from the thick metal item only to protect his spell book and the reader who turned to see him and looked like she may go into a panic attack from the view.

Needless to say the ball was pretty heavy, the little demon boy biting into his lip to pretend it didn't hurt at all as he struggled to get out from under the huge thing. "It's okay." Pushing it off his body and wiping dirt off his cloak. "At least, you can read the book."

Kimiko only looked at the little boy, biting into her lip before reaching out and ruffling his hair. "No, if I can read it, this means we are going to make this stupid spell work."

He didn't understand what she was saying at first, trying to calm himself down as his partner watched the duo before her, listening to her say something that at once sounded stupid. "I know our spells can take you down, that they're more useful!"

The silver eyed teenager frowned, holding his book tighter. "Really? Well, which of us can actually use a spell?" Holding out his book as he called out the spell once more.

As he was doing this, Kimiko looked to Tsumi, her voice serious. "Get in front of me right now."

He was unable to refuse even though this action mortified him, watching the girl give him a look begging him to do just as she said. He then nodded, putting himself in front of her as the ball continued to go after the both of them.

Kimiko watched him panic; drawing in another breath as Tsumi turned to her while his voice went weak. "K-Kimiko! What are you doing!"

"Hold on, kid." The girl smirking nervously, holding out the book tight in her shaking hands. "Rachido!"

Tsumi suddenly felt a burst of energy fill him, a powerful and toxic gas shooting out of his mouth in a ray that melted right through the metal ball and shot right at the two of them.

The silver eyed duo let out sounds of shock, Tsumi shaking his head in shock as he realized just what happened as Kimiko let out a shout of pure joy. "I told you we could do it!"

The silver eyed boy then proved himself to be nothing but a coward, whimpering as he grabbed his demon child and fled before Kimiko could even consider going after him.

"I-It worked." The girl directing her attention to the little demon child who began to look at his hands and then to her. "Uh, Kimiko?"

The teenager smiled, obviously proud of the fact that she was able to bring out his true power and prove that she was strong. "Don't get upset, we're partners and that's all that matters."

For a moment Tsumi thought he could believe that, but when he looked at her all he could see was the smiling family that took him in and the ever trusting Kimiko. Sure he had managed to stop her from being struck with any attacks today, but how could be sure that he could always be there to stop attacks? He just couldn't put her in battle, he just couldn't make her fight and it felt wrong.

"No, I can't." The little boy then turning around and beginning to walk away, a slight stumble in every step the demon child took..

"Tsumi! Tsumi!"

He could hear her cries for him for a moment, just continuing to walk away without even thinking about his book, which found itself in the arms of the only human able to read the novel. He just couldn't work with her, because with the luck he began to experience, he just couldn't live with himself if anything at all happened to her. He couldn't let it.

_'I am only doing this to protect her, we just can't be partners. Goodbye Kimiko.'_


	4. Let's Fight Together, as Partners

_Hey, people. I know these updates are fast but I'm hoping to have the first five or six chapters of Demon Battle Rises out before I go on vacation to see how well they do. This project shouldn't have been neglected but seeing how well it fairs on this site is just another part of this process. So I'm figuring if I get a lot of the stuff sent in before the full swing of the Xenolith arc hits, I can see if I really should begin writing this story and even be able to tell you the ending I have all set up._

_Or maybe I'm just a washed up writer looking for somebody to believe in me and the stories I create, either way, I want my readers to be just as involved in this project as I am. **I want you to feel like all of your ideas and your wishes for this story are taken into consideration.** This project belongs to all of us and for that, allow yourself to review the negative and allow yourself to ask questions or suggest something. This is everybody's story, I just get the pleasure of telling it._

_Anyways, I shouldn't be babbling so much, you should enjoy this story. Enjoy chapter three of DBR everybody._

_xKiha_

* * *

_'Where are you? Why did you just take off on me after that? I promised that I could and would fight alongside you but you left anyways. Why? I thought this meant we were partners, that we were supposed to work together as a team.'_

Kimiko was staring out the window in her classroom as she normally would do, frowning as she watched the clouds. This time it was different, she had something important to think about instead of daydreaming of whatever came to her mind.

It had been a week since she had opened the spell book and released the first spell. A week since even though she agreed to fight with Tsumi he instead turned his small back on her and walked away without even explaining why.

A week since she had heard from him, a week of not knowing if this newfound partner of her's was even still alive.

It hurt, not only that he didn't want her to be his bookreader but because now she was surrounded by questions and things she just didn't understand about what had happened to them both. For example, all she could think about was what must have been in that poison attack Tsumi called his first spell to eat right through the metal ball. It wasn't a solid but a gas and yet it seemed to eat right through the thing without any difficulty. But she had taken the time to inspect it and somehow, it almost seemed that instead of being eaten through, it may have been burned through.

Well, she was taking Chemistry this yeah.

Kimiko looked up at her teacher and raising her hand with a bit of urgency. "Mister Kincad?"

The man with blond hair turned, smiling in the ever patient look he gave all of his students imbedded in his understanding eyes. "Yes?"

'They're all going to laugh at me for asking such a weird question out of the blue like this.' Kimiko drawing in a breath before managing to find her words. "Is there any way something toxic could eat or burn through something like solid metal?"

"If it was acidic then yes, but otherwise no."

The teenager slowly looked at her feet, nodding as those words revolved inside her mind in a tornado like fashion. So Rachido was powerful and acidic, meaning it could easily severely burn the skin of anybody it came in contact with. Tsumi's spells weren't as simple as they seemed, which meant that this child could in fact be a danger or even lethal if he wanted to be.

This wasn't just a game and she needed to remember that religiously. Just in case Tsumi came back. After all she did have his book with her and was keeping it safe for when he did decide to return.

'Just come back. You know we can fight together, that I want to be your bookreader. You've got nothing to be afraid of; we've already used the first spell. I know that wherever you are you're afraid, but I also know that deep down, you know you can't quit now.'

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_'Nobody really said anything after I asked such a weird question, guess that means I'm safe, at least for now.'_ Kimiko gathering her stuff as she looked around her classroom, picking up the purple spell book which until then she hadn't thought much about hiding from the eyes of the others. Something just made her doubt the possibility of running into any kind of threat here. However, when she turned around and placed the powerful little thing in her book bag she found eyes on her.

This girl was rather unfamiliar, her skin a pale ivory and her eyes a blank teal. Her uniform looking a bit big on her tiny figure but not enough to make it sag. Scars seeming to somewhat decorate her face while long black bangs covered her forehead. She was silent, never said a thing as she only watched Kimiko for a while before getting up and walking away.

_'Who was that?'_

The brunette wasn't sure why, but she was intimidated beyond belief just by the look she was getting, watching the girl coldly walk away and resisting the urge to scream out and get her to turn around. You can't just stare at a person like that and then walk away like nothing happened! You just don't do something like that!

As if she hadn't been annoyed enough with this week, this had to happen and for some reason the brunette just couldn't shake this feeling that this little encounter was going to mean something much more important in the future.

She was more than right.

Leaving the school and taking a step out into the harsh wind of fall, she looked up at the early setting sun and began to wonder if Tsumi would ever come back or if this was going to all fall apart before it even really began. Little to say she was scared at the idea of him being all on his own in a place like Japan, the country seemed small on the map but once you began to live here you realized just how big such a small place can be. And once you watch the news, you're reminded of what a dangerous place it can be as well. Of course, thinking this way only made Kimiko panic more, which in turn didn't help in the slightest.

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Tsumi sat on the outskirts of Hokkaido, his arms holding his cloak close to his body to keep himself warm as the cold October air continued to blow around and make his hair more than a little messy along with ripping his cloak from his shivering form.

He felt incomplete, not having either his book or his dignity to speak of. No, he wasn't just incomplete but he was nothing. Well, nothing but a weakling and a traitor.

He finally got his partner, got his chance to really fight back to prove his worth and become stronger, he even won a battle! And what did he do after he finally won something? Nothing but run away from everything and leave his book reader all by herself along with the book that was keeping him in the human world.

He always ran away, this was always how it was and how it would always be. He had been a baby before coming here and nothing could change him.

Not even Kimiko.

Damn it, he really didn't even want to be here. He had begged Gash not to send him, crying that he would never be a fighter and that nobody could ever force him to battle if he didn't want to do it. The King however had none of that and even the Queen wouldn't come to Tsumi's defense and he bawled and begged for the reason why he would have to fight and why he had to go. Gash only really told him one thing and Tsumi never really understood the meaning behind it.

"You are strong and nothing can stand in your way and your destiny, I know this better than anybody else. Nobody had faith in me. Everybody saw me as a weakling, but I wouldn't allow them to stand in the way of my goals and my ideals. I also know the power that you are holding back from yourself and just how strong you are. Tsumi, the only way you can see that is if you fight for it and teach everybody who has ever failed to believe you what you really are."

How could he fight for something like that? And what was he even fighting for in the first place? God, he hated all those riddles Gash had told him, none of them ever made a lick of sense! How was he supposed to unlock the powers he didn't have in the first place? He couldn't just snap his fingers and give himself some form of ultimate power.

"Hn, what do we have here? A little demon all on his own?"

Tsumi turned around in shock at the teasing voice, looking up a tree only to find a single pair of grey eyes staring right at him from within the leaves. He froze right away, his entire body growing ridged. Something about those eyes were familiar in an uncomfortable way, looking up at the silver irises but saying nothing. He wasn't sure his words could come out even if he wanted them too.

"Frightened?"

The little boy backed up, shivering as he tripped over a stone and landing on his back side, trying to walk backwards on his hands. Any distance he could put between them both could be wonderful. "N-No!"

Right away he knew this was a demon child and judging by the silver eyes that resembled what Tsumi guessed to be a feral animal, he wasn't sure just what was about to happen if this demon chose to pounce. He wasn't even sure why she was speaking to him. If she had a book reader and was hoping to wipe him out here and now or if she was alone and only wanted to speak with him.

"Well, you are brave for talking back to me." The darkness of the night covering the demon child as she jumped out of the tree but kept her distance so young Tsumi could only make out her shadow. "And even more brave for going out of here on your own. Don't you have a bookreader?"

Tsumi nodded, thinking maybe it would make him look tougher even if he had no thoughts of returning to Kimiko any time soon. "Yes, I have a book reader. She's just not with me right now"

"Do they have your spell book with them wherever they are?"

He nodded again; after all she really did have his book with her. The good thing about this was not only that he was telling the truth but he wouldn't have to fear her noticing any lying and basically beat him to death even without his book. But then again, this also meant he was still stuck on earth.

"That's too bad, I guess I can't destroy you the way I wanted to just yet." The sound of what may have been a blade being taken out of its sheath ringing in Tsumi's ears as this figure began to get closer to him, the moonlight reflecting on the area as he noticed the blade it wasn't what he expected. No, instead of a sword or any kind of bladed weapon this was a nothing other than the razor sharp claws on her hands. All of them glinting in the moonlight, perfectly curled in a way that made Tsumi fear that they were all too used to doing jobs like slashing the throats of her enemies wide open. His shaking hands brushing against his own neck for only a second before he looked back at her with a trembling fear

"No! Please!" The figure began to get closer to the defenseless Tsumi, the boy backing up on his hands as he begged for the forgiveness he didn't need. "You don't have to do this to me! I don't even know you! We're not enemies and we've never met before!"

"We're both in this fight, that makes us enemies." The figure only got closer, her sharp claws shining in the light of the moon while Tsumi continued to back up. Knowing he wasn't going to get away from this one as tears began to glisten in his eyes.

"H-Help! Somebody, please!"

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Kimiko shivered from where she lay on her bed, something felt very wrong as she put down her pencil. She stood up without a word, walking over to her window and beginning to stare out of it for a reason she didn't know. It was almost as if something was beckoning her to look, opening the window and feeling the cold wind on her face. She was never all that fond of cold weather, but she just couldn't back away from the window, her eyes slowly opening and beginning to look around the area to see if there really was anything she was supposed to be seeing or noticing outside.

It was then that her eyes fell upon a single figure limping down the road, the girl unable to make out just who it was for a moment and just watched the figure begin to get closer. Her eyes getting wide as she realized just who this was and in what condition they were in.

Moments later, wearing nothing but some very light pajamas Kimiko was down the street with her hazel eyes wider than silver dollars. "Tsumi! Oh my god, are you okay!?"

Sure enough it was none other than Tsumi who was struggling to even walk as he gazed up at the girl now by his side. "Hey, Kimiko." His voice soft and raspy as he continued to try and balance himself. "Didn't think I would see you again, not this soon."

The girl blinked, slowly reaching out and touching his shoulder slowly and watching him wince at the mere brush of her fingertips. "What happened to you!"

"I-I...got into a fight." The little boy laughing softly but whimpering in pain just by his chest moving up and down thanks to this gentle laugh. "I was too weak to even fight back to a demon with no..no...no...bookreader."

His voice faltered for a moment and without a warning the boy fell forward, his book reader gasping in horror but catching him just in time so his body made no contact with the pavement. She turned him around to see his eyes empty, biting her lip in worry and checking his heart rate. His pulse seemed normal enough, the girl sighing in relief as she realized that he had only passed out from exhaustion.

"Ssh, it's going to be okay!"

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Tsumi's soft purple eyes shot open, a strong pain in his body as he tried to sit himself up.

"Don't try and move, you're hurt."

The demon child hesitated as he shifted his weight, turning and finding Kimiko sitting beside the futon Tsumi had been sleeping on before he left them both. He was stunned to see her only because he hadn't remember what happened or that he walked over to her street basically mindlessly after taking the beating he did. "Kimiko."

The girl sighed, standing up as she began to look at the window and the morning sun shining down on them both. "You really scared me when you showed up, beaten and bruised. Thank God you just needed some bandages and rest or else you might have ended up in a hospital. And I'm not sure I want to know just how a doctor would react to finding out the child they were fixing up wasn't even a human, but a demon child from some other universe"

Tsumi pulled the blankets of the futon off his body, trying to stand up and whimpering in pure pain when he realized that just by trying to move himself in this state, he'd only be putting his boy through what he could only describe as pure agony. "Thank you, for helping me out."

Kimiko frowned, sitting him back down before crossing her arms in a motherly manor. "No, no. Don't even think about leaving for one second, I lost you once and I'm not going to let you go off on your own again! We're partners, Tsumi. If I'm the only person that can help you work towards the entire reason that you're here, I think that honestly means something. I'm meant to fight with you, to fight as the team some destiny decided we were going to be."

The demon child hesitated for a moment, shaking his head in a bit of upset. "I can't fight with you. I shouldn't even be in this world fighting in the first place!"

The brunette didn't listen, standing up and taking the purple spell book off her night stand beside her bed. "Then tell me what this means." Holding the book out and showing the cover to the demon child. "We are partners, this book is something special I can read for you. That means something to me and it means something to the rules of this game. You are my partner and I'm not going to lose you again."

Tsumi whimpered, biting into his lip as he realized she was being honest, that their partnership really meant something important to her. Even though he didn't want to accept it before, their partnership meant something to him as well. It wasn't that he was predisposed to love her or feel drawn to her, but they had taken time to know one another and now, he felt bonded with the brunette.

His eyes beginning to water as he looked to the brunette and his purple spellbook, a single tear slipping down to his cheek. "Yes. Please, help me fight! F-Forgive me please, forgive me and fight with me. I want to be a team and grow stronger together. I want us to unlock new spells and make friends, to work towards deciding what kind of a king I would like to be and how I could help the demon world if we became strong enough to win something like the demon battle!" Tsumi beginning to shake with the strong emotions filling his tiny body, allowing his tears to begin to flow down his thin cheeks in a flow of emotion.

Kimiko smiled gently, sitting down beside the child with her arm comfortably slipping around his shoulder. He looked up at her for only a moment before the girl set the book down on the futon before the both of them. This tiny little thing was more than either could ever understand and now it was what bonded them together. What proved to the rest of the world that they were going to be a team by the hands of destiny and fate themselves.

"Of course I forgive you and yes. Let's fight together, as partners."


	5. The Second Spell: Rerano

_Hey everybody, good afternoon and welcome to the next chapter of Demon Battle Rises and the first chapter to contain a bit of Xenolith's work, which of course will bring back some old nostalgia to those of you who were fans of the first time this story was posted on the interwebs. This chapter had a few things I needed to change, like the names of the spellbook duo, but other than that here we have a fun little chapter that among other things finally brings in the character that I'd probably call my favorite out of the main cast._

_Other than that, enjoy the next chapter and finally getting to read a proper demon battle._

_xKiha_

* * *

"There we go!"

Kimiko felt herself giggle as she finished the chemistry problem on the board, turning and showing the work to Mister Kincad with nothing but pure joy plastered on her face. She felt no doubts when she was in this class, not with this teacher here to help her out and protect her from the ridicule of her fellow peers. With this teacher Kimiko was safe, in this class she could relax and pay attention without ever having to fear what was happening or what her peers were going to think about every little movement she made.

"Good job, Isahowa, that would be the correct formula." Mister Kincad fiddling with his hair for only a moment before looking around his classroom full of freshmen students. "Now then, who can tell me what would happen if I switched these two numbers around?" Motioning to said numbers quickly.

Kimiko filled with joy, returning to her desk and looking up at the formula for a moment. She knew the answer and she barely even had to think about it, here she was smart and here was where she belonged.

"Yes, Kenja?"

A pale boy with shoulder length blond hair stood up, his body looking frail as he coughed. His cheeks were a pale color Kimiko didn't want to think much about, his eyes a beautiful azure full of exhaustion and from what she could make out; pain. His voice almost too soft to understand as he looked at Mister Kincad. "You would end up with a solution bound to explode, the number of the X solution would be too much for the rest to handle." The teenager beginning to cough rather loudly in a gasping tone, eyes forcefully closed.

"That would be correct, good job."

Even Kimiko hadn't known that, staring at the problem and then back at Kenja. Never before had she really noticed him but she wasn't sure how long he had been around for, he didn't look very well so the reason he was at school was beyond her. Then again, she had looked over this class multiple times and yet when she did, his face was never amongst their peers. Who exactly was this?

His coughing barely got any better, the boy obviously embarrassed of what he was doing and how it was attracting attention. He looked aware of all the whispers and his cheeks began to fill with a bit of color from his deep embarrassment.

"Kenja, if you need to step out or go to the nurse it's alright." Mister Kincad looking at the sick boy with a frown, obviously knowing something that the rest of his students were in the dark about. "It would be better than you getting worse just to remain in class."

For a moment the blond hesitated, trying to shake his head but as he gasped for breath suddenly it was made well known that something was much more wrong than the class had thought. Kenja silently picking up his backpack and standing up, taking that walk of shame through the rows of students watching him with wide eyes. For a moment his pained azure eyes met Kimiko, the girl sucking in a breath as they looked at one another. However, it was when he lifted his bag that he had forgotten to close the top up that the brunette realized something she didn't want to know.

Sitting comfortably inside his backpack was none other than an orange spell book, the markings on the cover matching the ones on Tsumi's purple book. There was no doubt in Kimiko's mind that this meant Kenja was also a book reader.

That he was her enemy.

She had to be careful of him, because with once false swoop they could go from complete strangers to destroying one another in another one of these demon battles.

'I can only hope he hasn't noticed my book.' The brunette's hand falling down to her satchel where the purple spellbook hid, her finger tips slowly rubbing the spot as if to promise it would stay there. 'Who knows how strong he and his partner could already be.'

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"Kimiko's out of school soon!"

Tsumi was more than thrilled to meet his book reader after school, leaving Mrs. Juri and Taiki before rushing down the streets. He had permanently been accepted into the family and was more than content living there with his book reader, finally coming to terms with his status and that his bookreader wasn't going to just let him leave anytime soon. And honestly, now that he had time to think about it, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Now he was looking forward to meeting her once she left that building and could spend time with him, passing people around him with a youthful glow filling his purple eyes as they darted around in an attempt to see everything. The smile on his face exclaiming his joy, continuing on the path he knew would bring him to Seki.

The moment he got to the front gates the child hopped up onto the thick brick supports that held the opposite sides of the gate apart. He then sat down, watching the school and kicking his legs back and forth with a bit of joy.

Just the reality of this made him happy, he had a good bond with his bookreader and waiting for her with joy made him even more excited.

The bell sounded, resonating in his ears as he sat there patiently with his small smile growing much wider. Kimiko would be out any minute and then they could spend time together!

However, a rather familiar feeling then struck him, turning around and beginning to search for a pair of silver eyes that made his heart pound with horror. "If you're hiding, come out!" He had been nightmares about those eyes lately, the feeling of those claws digging into his skin ripping him out of these horrifying dreams every time they crossed his mind.

Nothing happened, no creature moved to prove that whoever had attacked him a few nights before was there again. Tsumi tried to relax but found himself nervously grabbing his arm where he had first been scratched, looking around nervously but still not finding anything at all. He really felt it, he wasn't crazy. And yet nothing really was there to prove him right.

"Ready to get going?"

Tsumi jolted, almost tripping right over his two feet and off the support when he heard Kimiko's voice break through his fear. After balancing himself though he turned to his book reader, laughing nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sure, let's go."

The demon child then lept off where he stood, landing on his feet and smiling to his book reader. However, this didn't mean Kimiko didn't look at him a bit funny. "Is something bothering you?" Looking to the little guy with a frown, obviously talking about how jumpy he was right then.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

The brunette blinked, frowning to him before folding her arms across her chest in a maternal and somewhat annoyed fashion. "Now then, don't lie to me, Tsumi. You almost had a heart attack when I spoke to you."

Tsumi was at a loss for words all of a sudden, looking at his shoes nervously. "Remember how I was beaten when I came back to you?"

"Yeah, how could I forget something like that?"

"I thought," The demon child hesitating for a moment before looking back up in the direction where he had thought he had felt those silver eyes on him. "I thought I had seen that person who almost took me out watching me, but I couldn't find them around. I was frightened they showed up again."

Kimiko frowned; figuring now was probably not the best time to tell him that one of the boys in her class happened to be another spellbook reader. Bending down and ruffling Tsumi's deep purple hair, forcing herself to smile to him warmly. "Don't worry, nobody is going to come after you. You are going to be fine, I promise this. After all, we're a team and we can always fight back."

Tsumi smiled to his bookreader, nodding to her before giving her a gentle thumbs up to show that he'd be okay.

Then the brunette stood up straight, smiling to the little boy. "Now, how about we go for a walk to clear our minds?"

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.

.

Tsumi wasn't sure why, but he found himself liking this walk, just being able to think about whatever he wanted to and feel safe was delightful after a long time of nothing but stress and worry.

Kimiko was enjoying it as well, walking beside him without saying anything and just lavishing in their quiet time. However, this wonderful peace wasn't going to last very long.

"Janduro!"

That sound was all too familiar and at once both book reader and demon found themselves in sync. Nobody would shout random nonsense like that so loudly and that word, well it was all too familiar.

Kimiko turned to lock eyes with the boy with silver irises, frowning to herself as she realized one of those metal balls was headed right towards them. Without thinking much about it she shoved Tsumi to the ground, landing on top of him as the huge item splashed into the river below the bridge the two were standing on right then. Water flying through the air as Kimiko got up, looking down at the dazed Tsumi and offering him her hand. "You okay?"

"Yes, thank you." The little boy taking her hand and standing up, both then turning to face the enemies they had narrowly taken out a few days before with rage.

"What are you doing!" Kimiko screamed, voice sharp and cold as she looked to the both of them. "Why are you so desperate to fight us!"

The silver eyed boy didn't say anything, just looking at her with a neutral expression plastered on his face. He soon held out his hand again, his young demon not even reacting as their spell book began to glow. "Janduro!"

The brunette had no idea why this was happening and why out of the blue somebody would be attacking them both, but something was clearly wrong and she would have to get down to the bottom of it. Her hands ripping into her satchel and removing the purple book, the pages flying open almost as if they recognized the severity of this situation. "Rachido!"

At once Tsumi directed his attention to the metal ball, the acidic spell streaming from his mouth and taking no time to eat right through the metal object flying towards them. They had done this before, but that time hadn't felt so wrong.

Something was different and neither could put their finger on what it was.

"Okay, now explain yourself!" Kimiko's voice getting louder as she became more agitated and no longer alright with dealing with this. "You know we can destroy your first spell so there's no use in fight with us!"

The teenager said nothing, he didn't even move from his place or even react when his spell was destroyed by the acid. He just stood there, watching them both with his demon beside him doing the exact same thing. Their eyes, Kimiko gasping as she looked into them. They were completely empty, there was no life, no emotion, nothing in them. It was almost like somebody had taken their souls away, like they were trapped somewhere deep inside their own bodies.

"They're under some kind of trance."

Tsumi turned to his book reader when this came out of her mouth, looking back to them and frowning ever so slightly. "How do you know?"

The brunette looked from her partner to the two boys, biting into her lip. "Nobody can be that emotionless and that look in their eyes, they aren't aware of what they're doing."

It was true, no emotion at all was buried within the eyes of the teenager or his partner. Their pupils blankly dilated and wide without emotions. The more he thought about it, Tsumi wasn't even sure if he had seen either of them blink once.

"What should we do?" Tsumi's voice soft and nervous while he looked from one to the other.

Kimiko hesitated, what should they do? They were in a trance which meant they were dead to the world for now, but the only thing she could think of felt rash and stupid. "We, we're going to burn the book. Maybe if we do that, they'll come back."

The demon's eyes got wide, looking at the girl in awe. "You want me to burn it?"

"There's no other option, we have to."

Tsumi wasn't sure if he could do that without regretting, whimpering before glancing at the silver eyed duo and studying them. How could either be happy if they were dead to this world? He had to do this; otherwise they would end up suffering like this for longer. "Alright."

"Rachido!"

Tsumi lunged forward, the acidic gas streaming from his mouth and right at the demon who barely moved, burning his arm in the process and yet barely reacting as his skin began to bubble with the heat of the acid.

"He didn't move." The conscious demon in awe as he watched the demon just blankly watch him, a bit of blood dribbling down his tiny arm thanks to the burn of the acid. He didn't want to hurt the kid, not when he was fighting blindly!

However, the book that the silver eyed teen held soon began to glow brightly, the entranced boy looking down as if he was trying to process just what was happening. "Jitsuru!"

The silver eyed demon put his hands out in front of his body, his palms shooting a thick metal spear out at the two. The poison demon had barely any time to react, gasping in horror when he saw it coming.

Tsumi felt the solid spike shoot into his chest, flying back and crying out in pain. He hit the ground, the spear vanishing after doing his job, leaving the child with blood beginning to soak his chest.

"Tsumi!" His bookreader shouted in horror, moving to rush over to his side only for him to motion for her to stay completely still.

"I-I'm find." The demon child forced himself back up, supporting his weight against his hands for a moment before finally getting onto his feet. His skin was burning a bit while he balanced himself, his voice a bit rough. "They have two spells."

Kimiko nodded, staring at her book with rage. 'How did they beat us to the next spell?' Nothing seemed to happen, closing her eyes and trying to make the next spell appear to no avail.

"Janduro!"

The brunette didn't pay attention, gasping when she noticed the ball being shot at her. Tsumi taking the time to lunge at the girl, knocking her to the ground before it could hit either of them.

Kimiko blinked, looking up as she sat on her knees and looked over to the boy. "Thank you."

"W-What are partners for?" The demon smiling to her with relieved joy. "Just like you said, we're together for a reason."

With that the book began to glow a deep violet, both of them turning to see this happening and blinking in pure awe. No way this was happening, the pages in Kimiko's hands beginning to emit a beautiful purple. That was when a rather large portion of the violet letters changed colors and became a deep purple.

"I can read it." Kimiko breathing in, her hazel eyes growing wide with glee as she turned and looked back to her partner. "We have a second spell."

Tsumi beamed, standing up and rubbing at his hurting chest, trying to ignore the fresh bloodstains that were beginning to ruin his cloak. "Then read it. Let's do this together!"

The school girl nodded to him, her demon standing before her and holding his hands out before him. Neither knew what was going to happen when she spoke this next spell, but they would never be able to find out if they didn't try it right here and now.

"Jitsuru!" The silver eyed boy, having no idea what was really happening before him only called out his second spell once more, his demon barely reacting as he shot out the spear with force.

Kimiko bit into her lip, trying to calm herself down as she looked at the passage right on her book. This was it, drawing in a deep breath while the book began to glow with an aura she hadn't been aware she could generate. "The second spell, Rerano!"

The girl squeezed her eyes shut, biting into her lip before opening her eyes just to see what was happening. 'No way.'

Tsumi's body radiated with the energy he had gotten from his bookreader, eyes glowing a violet color for only a moment before a small beam was shot from his mouth. That beam formed itself into a circle, becoming solid and being surrounded by golden accents similar to that of an old medieval shield you'd see in the movies.

'A shield!" Kimiko gasping as she covered her mouth in awe. 'We have a shield!'

However, it didn't stop there, the new defensive spell beginning to spin around the two of them. Soon enough that spear rammed into their new shield, but ended up being propelled the other way with much more ferocity and even radiating a bit of a purple aura.

Kimiko and Tsumi didn't know the aftermath until the shield vanished into thin air, both rushing over to the other side as a bit of smoke vanished from where the silver eyed duo had stood. There they found the demon child lying on the ground, his eyes wide while their book sat on the dirt close to the bookreader, green flames eating at the cover.

"We did it. We really did it." Kimiko smiling to her partner in a moment of blissful relief before rushing over to the silver eyed bookreader to see if he was okay.

The moment she put her hand on his shoulder the boy shivered, turning to her as all of a sudden he blinked, his pupils beginning to return to normal. The moment Kimiko came into his focus his voice came out. "Who...Why are you here? W-Where is Io!"

"J-Jayden." The silver eyed teen turning to see his partner lying on the ground, gasping when he noticed his book burning, voice holding uncomfortable emotions. "Io! W-What's happening to you!"

"I have to go back now, my book's almost gone." The demon faking a smile while he put his small hand on Jayden's knee, gentle tears in his eyes. "I'm so happy we got to be partners."

"Don't go! Please!"

Kimiko and Tsumi could only watch the demon vanish from thin air, seeing the silver eyed teenager cry and mourn the loss of his partner. They felt horrible, but they had no choice.

From now on, things were going to be much more serious.

.

.

.

"I feel, evil."

Kimiko turned to her demon partner, frowning. "It's okay; we only did what we are going to have to do if we want to make it through this game."

"Did, did it bother you though?"

"Yeah, it did."

The both of them continued on their way, walking back to the house with a dirty feeling welled into their chest. They didn't feel proud of themselves, they did get their second spell and it was a wonderful step forward for them both, but they would be separating people. It would have been an easier split if they had been fighting a team that was willingly fighting back. These two were somewhere else, they were gone from this world until their book had been burned.

Not only that, but why were those two in a trance? Who did that to them?

They turned the corner, Kimiko digging into her pockets to find her house keys when Tsumi suddenly froze, biting into his lip. "K-Kimiko."

The school girl looked up, gasping as they got to the front of her home and almost dropping her keys. Standing before the door was the girl with scars on her face from Kimiko's class. The girl holding out a white spellbook before her. "Hello there, would you let me in? I think we need to discuss something very important."


	6. Cheshire and Aislinn

_And here we are with the revised versions of Cheshire and Aislinn's introductions, something that I honestly did like going over. Cheshire and Aislinn of course are meant to be the Sherri and Brago like characters and for a girl who considers Brago her favorite out of all the demons, I wanted the best of the best. And of course, thanks to the creator of these girls, they fit their slots just too perfectly. You will find that a few of the characters have been created by this fellow writer and with good reason, I always love the characters they bring to life when sending them to me, so with hope, I'll get to bring every character they send to me to life._

_Anyways, this along with the next chapter are introduction chapters, but this one is much darker where as the other brings in my favorite character and is a bit more light hearted. _

_But, without further ado, enjoy the fifth chapter of Demon Battle Rises!_

_xKiha_

* * *

"I believe we have something to discuss."

Kimiko tried to hold in a breath of fear as she looked over the girl, this was her classmate that held out a spellbook before her. Another enemy, just what they needed. She didn't exactly feel up to fighting anybody else after experiencing what she did and there was no doubt that Tsumi really wasn't in the mood for another fight either. "And what would that be?"

"You know exactly what that something is."

The brunette couldn't really hide the fact that she knew where this conversation was going any longer, brushing a messy lock of her brown hair out of her face before she slowly nodded, trying to suppress the slight fear filling her body. "I guess you're right." Reaching into her bag and getting out her house keys. "At least you picked a time when my family wasn't around."

Tsumi looked up at his book reader as he began to feel those eyes on him again, shivering and tugging on the brunette's sleeve with slight urgency. "Is this a good idea?" Voice a wavering whisper of nervousness and needed caution.

She looked down for a moment, eyes holding defeat and fear. "I…..I have no idea, but what other choice do I have in this situation? She has a book and we can't ignore that."

"But, I feel those eyes on me Kimi!" His voice growing more desperate as he tried to cling to her, trying to warn her of the danger that was sneaking up on them with every little second that she let pass. "It's that person that fought with me before and that's her book reader!"

The brunette shrugged his warnings off, walking over and unlocking the door to the girl with long black hair and a face with scars. Smiling as she opened it, inviting this school mate inside with nothing but a hospitable look in her eyes. "Come on it, we'll talk about this inside."

The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding, knowing this would probably be better as she entered the Isahowa residence. It would be more personal that way and if they had to worry about leave damage, then these two would probably submit to her much easier.

Tsumi looked at his bookreader in awe as he shook his head slowly. Wasn't she listening to him at all, this wasn't going to be good at all! He didn't trust her, walking into the house and never dropping his gaze from his bookreader, they may be in this together but if anything horrible happened to them it would be her fault.

.

.

.

"There, I hope you don't mind if the tea taste's a bit rushed, didn't really have a lot of time to make it perfect."

Kimiko handed the girl a cup before sitting down with her own mug clasped between her jittery palms, sitting opposite from her with Tsumi sticking beside her with a cup of juice. The brunette noticed her class mate had comfortably set her spellbook on the coffee table, frowning before removing her book from her satchel and placing it on her side, hoping this would show that they were not at all a weak team to be looked down upon. "So, I never managed to get your name."

"It's Aislinn." The girl taking a sip from her cup and swallowing down the bitter tea with a slight grimace at the lack of good tastes in the tea Kimiko had managed to make in the five minutes she had been given. "Aislinn Akihira."

Well, that was getting them both somewhere, the brunette nodding. "Aislinn, what a pretty name." Smiling before putting her tea down, trying not to show just how disgusted she was with the excuse for a drink she had concocted. " I'm Kimiko, but I guess you knew that already since you managed to find my home. Still not exactly sure how you managed to do that, but that's not important right now."

Tsumi could feel the tension that was rising in the room before either girl spoke about what they were both thinking, nervously drinking the juice which was beginning to make him feel sick with its sweetness. Not that he would rather have some of that rancid tea Kimi had managed to create judging by the faces both of the girls were trying to hide from one another.

"Anyways," The brunette placing her cup down. "Why are you coming after the both of us right now? We've done nothing to bother you, so why do you see us as a threat?"

Aislinn didn't remove her cup from her lips, inhaling the scent of the tea before opening a single sharp teal eye. "It's not that I see you as a threat, it's just that you are another spellbook reader and a demon."

"And that means what to you? That we're exactly the same in this situation?"

The girl with the scars simply shook her head, eyeing Tsumi as the boy bit into his lip in intimidation. "No, it means that you are just another enemy in this game. It means that I am here to fight you because it is the way this game goes. I destroy you here and now because it is the nature of what they were sent here to do and the weakest always crumble first."

"And that makes us the weakest!"

Both girls turned to see Tsumi stand up, clenching one of his small fists tightly as he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to stare Aislinn down or at least slightly appear even the slightest bit stronger that her for this one moment. "What gives you the right to decide that the both of us are the weakest people in this battle!? Why do we have to be the targets instead of the allies that would be much easier to have to deal with?"

Kimiko watched the partner continue to shout in a bit of shock, then again he was right. Why are they the enemies here? They had never met, she had seen Aislinn in class but never before had they spoken or taken the chance to meet one another. What makes them worthy of being the targets when they had no interest in fighting either one of them? Did they really have to be enemies where there was no conflict to be heard of? The girl stroking the cover of the purple book as Aislinn softly smiled. "Allies don't exist in this game, only the strongest can succeed."

It wasn't that big of a lie, this entire battle was survival of the fittest and something that should have sounded so natural in the grit of this huge contest just sounded so cold as it left Aislinn's lips. Kimiko's fingers beginning to trace a spiral pattern on the cover of her book, feeling the warmth of the glow it gave off in return as a means of comforting herself.

Her classmate then stood up, picking up her own book before shaking her head. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, since you can't seem to understand what has to happen I might as well finish you while I have the chance." The girl opening her book and smiling softly as she spoke a name in a patient and yet expectant tone. "Cheshire." And for a split second after that, she made eye contact with Kimiko, her teal eyes had never been so horrifying and they probably never be so scary again.

Tsumi whirled around in horror as the eyes that continued to haunt him made themselves apparent within the bushes beside the open window, watching them glow grey and stare him down before the owner left the brush and quickly entered through the window. She was an anthropomorphic snow leopard, with soft white fur and black spots and even a soft looking pink nose. She was wearing clothing however; a grey t-shirt and dark jeans, but Tsumi was only fixated on the sharp black claws on her paws with a nervous gulp. The snow leopard took her place beside Aislinn, narrowing her eyes before looking at Tsumi with a soft smirk. "I managed to take him out without the use of his bookreader. And judging by the look of her, this won't take that long."

The more Kimiko listed to that the more enraged she found that she became, clenching her fists and looking to Tsumi in an attempt to tell him to get ready for another fight weather they liked it or not. Opening her book and finding herself filling with a rage that she couldn't really comprehend, feeling very protective and a deep need to prove herself to the two people daring enough to come into her home and degrade her. "We aren't that easy! We're not that weak! We're not that simple!" Her book beginning to glow a dark purple, reacting intensly to the anger now built up inside her. "Rachido!"

The toxic gas left Tsumi's mouth in a menacing color that Kimiko would be willing to call dark, watching it rush towards the girls. However, neither of them seemed to move at all, Aislinn opening her book and locking eyes with Kimiko as it to show the girl just how confident she was with her own powers and with what lacked in the brunette. "Dorīmushīrudo!"

Both braced for a counter attack, but were simply met with a large looking canine made out of energy. This "dog" growled as it noticed their attack, rushing forward and opening its jaws and lifting the claws of its front paws in a blind rage. The creature quickly tearing through their first spell and rushing forward at the poison duo who felt too stunned to move, bracing themselves for impact only for the canine to vanish moments before impacting with them.

"Look at them," Cheshire seeming to giggle with amusement. "They really thought that that spell was going to hit them! It was only a shield." Aislinn smirking with her own little giggle, the brunette watching them laugh at her with cheeks flushing with humiliation. How could they have known something like that? They had never seen Cheshire's spells before, let alone Cheshire in action.

Tsumi looked to Kimiko, his face much paler as he turned back to Cheshire. She had taken him down once before, which meant that there was no doubt that in this situation she was the stronger demon but he couldn't let himself loose to her. He wasn't going to go home after all of this, no he had fought through too much to even consider giving up now. He wanted to be here now and if that meant he'd have to fight with everything he had, that he'd have to bleed for it, he'd be willing. Now this victory was all Tsumi wanted, his voice taking on a gruff tone to it as he found his words. "Kimiko."

The brunette, who had been watching the both of their enemies in awe turned to her partner, praying to god that he had a plan while she was only drawing an awe stricken blank. "What is it, you on to something? Do you have a plan, or something in mind?"

"I think so. All I need you to do it call Rachido once more." Turning to her with a cocky smile that made the bookreader both nervous and a little impressed. "Trust me on this one; I have a solid plan that just might work and since we have no other choice we might as well give it a try."

Kimiko nodded in agreement, knowing this was a fact that she couldn't really argue with, looking to him and sighing to herself softly. "You better be right about this one." Touching the pages of her book and taking in a deep breath, her eyes impulsively squeezing shut with tension and focus. "Rachido!"

The poisonous gas left Tsumi's mouth again, shooting in a stream as the child lept into action. He was only using it as a smoke screen this time, rushing through it in hopes that they would call the spell and right as it seemed like Aislinn would do just as he predicted, the little demon boy pounced.

He sent himself barreling into Cheshire, tackling her with all the hate he had for her being able to beat him before and he was one to hold a grudge. The fury of him having to stand by and allow her to insult and humiliate Kimiko beginning seethe through his little enraged body. Never before did he feel he hated somebody like this, releasing a shout of agony and anger.

He sent his fist into her cheek as quickly as he could, trying not to think about what would most likely happen to him after he did this to the person much stronger than him. "I won't let myself lose to you! I'm not weak! I'm not pathetic! You can't win!"

He lifted his fist once more, closing his eyes in a blind rage and praying to god this was hurt her worse than it could ever hurt him.

Claws.

Tsumi opened his eyes as he felt a soft paw catch his hand, the claws on the edges of her paws slicing into the thin skin of his knuckles as the child let out a cry of pain. Opening his eyes to see the shredded and shaking hand, blood beginning to rush down his hand and pool on the wooden floor below him. He was in so much trouble if this left a stain, the child staring at his reflection in the growing puddle before struggling to look back up at the Snow Leopard.

He should have seen this coming in hindsight, but nothing could have prepared him for pain like that as he watched Cheshire snicker in joy. "Remember just who managed to beat who when we fought without our book readers. "

She was right, even though he didn't want to admit it she was stronger it was still true. He couldn't fight her hand to hand, because they'd had already seen the results and it wasn't him who had come out victorious. Tsumi trying to remove his fist from her claws soon proved itself unsuccessful as Cheshire decided she didn't want to release him, the child continuing to struggle in her grasp. Kimiko watching all of this in a silent terror, her trembling hands covering her gaping mouth.

"Cheshire, that's enough. Let's just end this right now." Aislinn holding the book and without giving either Kimiko or Tsumi time to react spoke the name of another spell. "Nemasu."

The poison duo braced for a burst of energy, but nothing really happened. Not that they could see. Tsumi finally ripping his knuckles from the leopard only for her to reach a clawed paw out and touching him roughly on the forehead.

For a moment the little boy felt nothing, but a moment later he was overcome with drowsiness and quickly fell forward into the puddle his knuckles had created for him. His eyes were slightly open, but everything else was completely still, giving the illusion that he might not even be living any more. Kimiko exhaling all of her horror as she saw his small chest rise and fall slowly. "What did you do!"

"Nemasu," Cheshire standing up and dusting her clothing off, only a few drops of blood staining her paws. "It's nothing more than a sleeping spell. He's fast asleep, but consider it like a coma. He'll be asleep for a varied amount of time, but he won't be here to wake up." Taking a step closer to the girl as she finished her statement.

However, Kimiko wasn't going to give up something so special without fighting, holding the purple book close to her chest as she sat on her knees. "Over my dead body you will lay a single finger on this book!"

While Cheshire smirked, Aislinn held out a hand, looking over the two as something strange began to overcome her. Yes, these two were pathetic, their spells did absolutely nothing that could have helped them. And yet, she couldn't find that deep lust to take them down, that deep rooted need to take out as many of the other players as possible. Frowning to herself as she looked over Kimiko with both hate and a bit of pity. They would get themselves destroyed anyhow, so why waste any more time when it seemed like this girl would only end up making this much harder than it needed to be at this point. Making her enemy, or rather her classmate, didn't seem so satisfactory. It wasn't giving up, but it was knowing when something wasn't worth doing. "We're going."

Kimiko looked up at the girl with scars, shaking her head in awe at what she was hearing right then. "You're not going to burn our book?"

"Not for now at least, but next time I won't be this easy going on somebody like you, no matter what happens." Aislinn glaring the brunette down one last time before she and her partner left, just as mysterious as they came.

The purple book reader quickly set the spellbook down, rushing over to Tsumi and picking the limp child up. "W-We're safe…even if it's just for a little while. We're lucky, that could have been the end."

_Next time it will be if we keep this up._

Kimiko swallowed cold air, feeling it tickle her throat before clenching her fists and violently shaking her head. No, this wouldn't be the end yet, they were going to keep going on no matter what they had to risk. They had to train and get stronger, but what they really needed was an ally. Even in a battle against others who are fighting for the same cause, a friend couldn't be that too hard to find, right?

"That settles it, once you wake up, we need to find you an ally. And I think I know just where to find somebody we could ask."


	7. Kesai and Kenja

_Alright, after I finished packing, I chose to bring in this chapter of Demon Battle Rises. The way this is looking, I know I will release chapter 7 tonight but the question of if I'll be able to release chapter 8 is all up to where I end up by the nightfall of Saturday. I can't do much other than promise that I'll try my hardest, but weather or not the hotel we chose to stay at has internet or not isn't really something I can control._

_However, we should enjoy this chapter as it gives us our first ally and my favorite duo that I've gotten to write for so far. Hopefully you begin to love them just as much as I've grown to love them. Enjoy_

_xKiha_

* * *

_Alright, this won't be that difficult. No, it'll be easy to do this. He looked nice enough, so I'm sure he won't go after us. Not mention we're in a hospital and I doubt anybody in this world would have the courage to attack anybody while in a hospital full of sick people._

Kimiko took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as she looked over the hospital building with a sinking feeling. She had no doubts that this is where she would find who she was looking for, after looking for him to show up in class for the past two days only to be met with nothing told her that he had to be here. Well, maybe it was suspicious or rather it was the help of Mr. Kincad who explained to her just where Kenja had gone. He seemed to think the two had become friends, patting her shoulder warmly and telling her this was normal. She played along of course, but only to get the answers she was seeking

"Kimi?" Tsumi looked up to his partner, voice still a bit groggy as he stood beside her, unaware of the intentions his book reader had for this situation. "I just woke up from that dream spell, why are we at a hospital? I'm all better now."

The girl sighed, looking into the eyes of her demon. If he refused to even try what she was planning, this wouldn't be worth risking. However she could see the fear in his eyes, hoping to reduce that by giving him another demon to depend on when things got too rough for them to handle on their own. "A boy from my class should be here and I know he has a spell book. We're going to see if we might be able to get him on our side."

Tsumi didn't want to say anything, but he felt a sinking feeling begin to take over. It wasn't exactly a horrible idea to do something like that, but would it be worth risking a fight that could break out in the hospital? But then again, if the boy was in the hospital, could he really fight back? He was probably sick, or something was broken, which probably left him very limited. "We could try, but it won't be easy to make friends in a game like this."

The brunette knew this going into the situation, but tried to keep herself positive. Kenja had seemed like a nice guy in class, but since she never really spoke to him before she wasn't sure that he really was and going by speculation wasn't always the right path to follow. "Yeah, I know, but we don't have much to lose by asking."

"I know, so let's give it a shot."

.

.  
"This is it..Room D209."

Kimiko took in a deep breath as she looked over the door to the room, reading the name on the little sticker against the door slowly. "Kenja Sedai." The nurse at the front desk had given her the information, probably figuring that the both of them were close friends of his just as Mr. Kincad had because she didn't hesitate to give Kimiko the info she had been seeking. However, now that she stood before the door and reality began sinking in, she found her heart was beginning to pound rather wildly and her throat was drying out. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Tsumi's voice trailing off as he watched the door in silence, biting at the thin skin of his lower lip in nervousness before clenching his small hands together and trying to calm himself down. This would all be okay, no matter what it would all be okay. His bookreader wouldn't blindly lead him into danger.

Would she?

The brunette slowly held out her fist, knocking on the door and letting the pounding sound ring in her ears while she remained completely still.

"Come in." A soft voice speaking through the door, sounding rather neutral and nervous.

The school girl looked over to her partner and nodding reassuringly before reaching out and opening the door. Light from an open hospital window stung her eyes as she took a step inside, trying not to react harshly as she tried to refocus her pupils to this situation with Tsumi sticking very close to her side.

When she finally managed to get her eyes used to the sunlight, she looked over the bed beside the window and found her classmate watching her in surprise as he sat up in bed. His long hair tied back into what could have been considered a rather sloppy bun that drooped against his thin shoulders while most of the color had returned to his cheeks, wearing a soft looking red t-shirt and some black sweat pants that were a bit loose around his hips. His voice holding a little more shock than the girl was expecting. "You're one of those girls from class, aren't you? What are you doing here?"

Somehow, telling him bluntly that she came here just for the sake of forming an alliance in the demon battle didn't seem like it would be the right thing to do, slowly walking over to where her classmate sat. "It's going to take a long time to explain, but trust me when I say it's very important." Noticing the teenager eyeing Tsumi with a raised eyebrow as she nervously laughed. "Trust me, he's part of why this is important as well."

Kenja nodded, wringing his hands together and straightening his spine. "I am pretty sure I have an idea about what you are going to say, but keep going, I would like to see just how you are going to explain why you've come."

Kimiko pulled a chair up from behind her, sitting down beside his bed and slowly pulling out her spellbook. However, as this was happening, Tsumi was beginning to feel something wrong, turning and looking out the window in hopes that whatever was watching him happened to be outside that window. For a moment he was met with the rustling of bushes, frowning to himself as he figured this wasn't just some kind of a random happening. Something else was watching him and whatever it was did not want to be seen by anybody. He swallowed, the sound of razor claws once again echoing in his ears as the thought of whatever it was within the bushes being another Cheshire began to run through his mind. He wasn't sure he could take another beating like that, eyes looking down to his shredded knuckles for only a moment of pure terror as he tried to calm himself down.

"You know what this is, don't you?"

Kenja slowly nodded to the girl, reaching over to his bedside table and pulling out the orange book Kimiko had managed to get a glimpse of in class from a thick wooden drawer. "Yes," Looking at her with a glance of weariness and yet what she figured was trust. "I have one just like it, which means we both have demon partner's to look after. I'm going to guess that this means the child you have brought along with you is your partner."

Kimiko gave him a soft smile, her hands running up and down the cover of her book. "You would be right, that's Tsumi, pretty good kid for somebody partaking in this battle. We specialize in poison attacks, but have only unlocked two spells so far. Our first spell is an attack and the second is a shield."

The boy listened to her attentively, seeming to value everything she was saying and be taking it all into deep consideration. "I see. My partner and I specialize in fire attacks and have unlocked three of our spells so far. However, of these three only one can really be considered useful from an offensive stand point, the others spells are if anything, strategic."

Tsumi began to feel that presence begin to get closer to him, frowning as he began to stare down the window in growing frustration. He could basically feel whoever was creeping up on them in curiosity, clenching his fists together and trying not to yell out at whoever this was to stop screwing around with him when they were trying to make an ally.

"Kesai! That's enough teasing." Kenja's voice sounding slightly stern as he scolded whatever hid outside the window after noticing the anguish Tsumi suddenly seemed to be in. "Just come out before we lose their trust."

"Alright, alright." A somewhat snarky child's voice filling the air.

A young child lept through the window, landing on his feet with ease and focusing on the poison duo right away. "I thought I could smell a poison type demon, the bitterness your skin gives off just makes me sick."

The child was quite a sight to look at, having long red hair that reached his waist and forest green eyes that illuminated under his slightly drooping bangs. He wore a black biker's jacket with a plain white t-shirt underneath, dark jeans and brown sneakers. However, the most interesting thing about him happened to be the ears and tail he had. Red fox ears peeked out of his long hair, seeming to twitch every once and a while and move to convey his emotions. A thick fox tail trailing behind him, being tipped with a creamy white color and appearing very soft and fluffy.

Tsumi frowned as he looked over Kesai, both of the children seeming to study the another as they began to walk up to one another. They continued to just analyze on each other for a while, just staring in a moment of pure focus before simply nodding and walking back to their bookreaders.

Kenja merely laughed about this, finding it a little funny that the boys simply studied one another and then walked away like this was a completely normal thing to do. "I guess they approve of one another. Anyways," Turning to the kitsune demon child, who know had his arms folded across his chest. "Kesai, these two were thinking about forming an alliance with us."

"They want to fight with us, like a team?" The kid a bit confused as he looked them both over, hopping onto the bed and sitting by Kenja's feet comfortably. "You know there aren't teams in a game like this, right? He's my enemy. This is a Battle Royale, only one person can win and there are no exceptions to something like that. Stuff like friendship will kill us in this game because you can make friends with ease, but once they trust you, backstabbing suddenly becomes another way somebody can take you out."

The blond school boy folded his arms slightly, that seriousness he had before returning. "And what about if I got worse, if I collapsed during a fight? Wouldn't it be good if we had somebody to protect us, somebody to rely on if things got to their worst and we could no longer handle it on our owns?"

"You're going to get all better! I told you that already!"

Kesai had his fist clenched as he glared at Kenja, who simply took the child's hand, unraveling his fingers briskly and looking to the child with understanding azure eyes. "We can't promise that. I know we both want to believe that it will happen no matter what, but I cannot promise something like that when you've seen me go from better to worse in two days."

The kid shook his head, looking to Kimiko and Tsumi for only a moment in frustration. "Fine, they can fight with us if they want, but they'll never need to protect us, because you _are_ going to get better!" Kesai then sprinting out of the room through the window, disappearing out of sight quickly in an attempt to hide all of his now boiling emotions from the others. Kenja knew he had weaknesses and the blond was the only one who could see them. He wouldn't allow the poison duo to know that sometimes he was afraid, at least not when he still only saw them as people most likely searching for a way to backstab him and his partner.

Kimiko drew in a deep breath, turning to the flustered Kenja. "Is he okay? Should we go after him?"

"No," The blond boy shaking his head slowly. "Kesai struggles with the concept of me being sick, if I ever try to speak with him about it something like this tends to happen. However, he did accept you both as allies, which is quite a feat for him. Kesai isn't exactly the greatest when it comes to social skills, we've worked on them, but the concept is still something a little too difficult for Kesai to grasp."

The brunette nodded, smiling softly. "Well, we're very glad he'll accept us as friends, we're going to need allies along the way."

Kenja only nodded, a knock at the door suddenly bursting through the silence that had only recently come. A doctor and a teenager about Kimiko's age both walking into the room with their usual doctor attire on and rather mature looks in their eyes. The professional looking to see Tsumi and Kimiko and slightly frowning, obviously they were neither needed nor wanted right then, to their silent dismay.

"Well, Kenja, we need to run a few tests to see how everything is going right now. Do you mind if your friends leave for this?"

The blond boy sullenly nodded, taking in a sigh before looking to his classmate. "Before you ask, I better inform you about my illness, as it is only fair if we are going to be a partnership from now on. I have Agranulocytosis, which other than being an annoying mouthful, means that my white blood cell count is known to either increase to a number too many or decrease to where there are so little my body couldn't fight of any infection. This makes my getting sick a varied thing, unpredictable and uncomfortable. It also can be very quick, which means one day I will be recovering and perfectly fine and the next day I may be so weak even opening an eyelid would become the most difficult task. I apologize now for any uselessness I may wind up giving to you"

Kimiko held her breath; not liking what she was hearing but forcing herself to accept it. "I see, well don't worry, we're still part of the alliance. Just having you help me will be enough and don't apologize, the worst thing you could do was push yourself too far when you were sick."

"Flynn, would you mind escorting these two out of the room please?"

The doctor's partner turned around, looking at Kimiko and seeming to recognize her. He had pale blue hair that was rather long, being tied up by a thin blue ribbon. He had freckled cheeks and eyes that nobody could ever forget, his left eye was a dark red and his right eye was a pale blue. The school girl blinking as she remembered him. He went to her school, just a year above her.

The boy smiled to her, noticing Tsumi before opening the door and motioning for them to walk out of the room. After the duo left the hospital room Flynn followed behind, closing the door before turning back to them. "So, what brought you to visit Kenja? I didn't know you both were friends."

Kimiko nervously laughed. "Not exactly, it'd be really hard to explain why I had to visit him so out of the blue like this."

"Is it about that demon battle thing?"

Tsumi turned to Flynn, his heart beginning to pound wildly. How did that boy know about the demon battle, oh no, not another demon! "H-How did you know about the demon battle?"

"I speak with Kesai from time to time," Flynn smiling softly at Tsumi's panic. "I've gotten my share of complaints from the guy about said battle."

Kimiko let out a sigh of relief, glad that this guy didn't pull out a spellbook and consider challenging her to a fight. "I see, well you're a pretty smart guy, Flynn, because you figured me out."

The guy smiled softly, nodding as he continued to walk through the halls with the poison duo. "Well, it's a good thing you showed up, it'd be good for them to interact with you both. Well, it's always good when a person visits around here, but Kenja tends to keep to himself. He's lonely sometimes, but he'd never complain about it or ask any of the staff to stick around just so he could have somebody to talk to or even somebody just to listen to"

"Don't worry about that, I'll visit around here to talk with Kenja from time to time. We're in an alliance now and I'm sure it will work out pretty well. He won't be lonely anymore, I won't let him."

They reached the lobby of the hospital by then, Kimiko and Tsumi standing by the door as they watched the sophomore begin to get a bit nervous, looking up to the school girl. "Well, maybe since you formed an alliance with Kenja, maybe you would consider forming an alliance with Aislinn."

Flynn knew Aislinn?

He knew she was a bookreader too?

Not after what happened could they consider her to be a friend, at least not for now.

Kimiko and Tsumi holding in the emotions of fear and slight horror they now felt and nodding to him in an attempt to seem positive as the girl spoke. "Well, we'll have to see. I'm sure it could work out if we put some effort into it."

Kimiko only held in her breath as Flynn smiled to her in slight joy, the girl trying not to convey what she was really feeling right then as her mind began to surge.

_At least we have an alliance, working with Aislinn probably wouldn't work not for now at least. We'll just have to see how everything goes from here, but I have a feeling this will work out and maybe even get better._


	8. A Battle in The Ocean

_And bam, just like this we have what may be the last chapter of Demon Battle Rises for the next three weeks, or what may be the second to last chapter. I'm honestly not all that sure, but I'm hoping to be able to post one more chapter before I lose all of my internet connection to spend time in the country. Over all, I can't do much about this, but I'm just glad I'm getting to share seven or eight chapters of this series before hopefully coming back in a little under a month with at least ten new chapters ready to posted after all my rewrites. I can't promise anything, so I guess this is all up to fate._

_Anyways, if this is goodbye for three weeks, I bid you adieu and hope that some of you will leave me amazing characters to return to and be able to bring life to. Don't ever be shy, trust me when I say that this story isn't just mine, but also yours. _

_Enjoy the next chapter._

_xKiha _

* * *

_Now what do we do? Nothing's changed since we went to the hospital even though we're technically going to work with Kenja now. I guess, we'll just have to sit and wait to see what happens. But for some reason, this week just doesn't feel right._

Kimiko twirled her pencil in her fingers as she sat in Chemistry, trying to focus on her teacher but finding herself unable to do so, sighing in frustration as she reached into her book bag. Her fingertips hitting the spine of her spell book as she lovingly stroked it, trying to occupy herself with something other than everything that was making her upset.

Kenja's seat remained empty where it was a few rows behind her and that wasn't the greatest sight to behold. It wouldn't be easy staying in an alliance with a boy who was constantly ill, but she didn't have much of a choice. He was the only person she knew for now that she could ask and since the other person was somebody she didn't have the courage to talk to, this should have been expected.

However, Aislinn was always in her place in the back of the room, watching Mr. Kincad with intent. She hadn't spoken or even looked at Kimiko since the day she attacked them both, which the brunette hadn't decided if it was to be considered a good or bad thing yet. From what she now knew, Flynn was a friend of Aislinn's, or at least he knew enough about her to know she was also a bookreader. Well, no matter if it was a good or bad thing yet, as long as she and Cheshire didn't attack them again everything would be alright.

However, that was probably the issue at hand, that everything seemed to slow down slightly. Somehow she expected to be dragged into the heat of battle every waking moment of the day, being forced to fight everybody around her and Tsumi without having anytime for things like school and alliances. That wasn't true after all, and it was beginning to put her on edge. She began to worry that everything was growing stronger without them, or maybe that somebody somewhere has plans and was keeping the both of them out of battle to make them all the weaker.

"Isahowa?"

The girl looked up at the clock, realizing that class had ended as the students stood up for a bit of a break, going to speak with their fellow classmates or stepping out for other things. Kimiko then sighing as she stood up, knowing she had to go speak to her teacher, who had probably noticed she wasn't paying attention this time around. "Yes sir?" Trying to hide her fear of getting in trouble or being punished for not listening.

The blond teacher frowned to her sullenly, watching her with a look of misunderstanding. "Is something the matter? You didn't seem to be paying any attention today."

She couldn't really explain what was going on, he would think she had lost her mind or something on that line, that she had no doubt of. "A little tired I guess, I couldn't really get much sleep last night." Figuring this would sound at least realistic enough for him to believe at this point. A lot of students were known to pull all-nighters for stupid reasons, but then again both her and Kincad knew that she wasn't one of those stupid students that did that kind of thing.

"I see, well try to go to bed earlier I guess, I don't try to give out enough homework to keep you up very late."

Nailed it, Kimiko nodding. "I'll try to keep my schedule more intact, it won't happen again sir. I promise." Seeing him flash her an approving look before turning back and returning to her desk, not sure what she would say if she ever came to class in pain from a fight or weak after something serious happening. How could she simply dismiss a broken limb or a black eye, somehow almost every excuse that filled her mind just sounded juvenile. This simply wasn't going well and she didn't like it at all.

.

Tsumi loyally waited outside the school gates for Kimiko, hearing the loud bells go off and getting excited. He hadn't been on edge as much recently, gripping his hands together in fists before smiling in joy. _'She'll be here in a moment.'_ Knowing that his book reader liked to be ahead of time with most everything she did, which meant she would be one of the first students out of the building. Which for a child who wasn't always the patient type, made him all the happier.

However, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside his bookreader's head. He had seen his partner sitting at her desk at home and doing work of some sort on paper last night way after everybody else had gone to sleep. He hadn't had the courage to ask her what exactly she had been doing then, instead just watching her for a while in pure silence, listening to her muttering to herself in frustration. It had been a little bit frightening at first, but he hadn't said anything, at least for then but now he was beginning to worry about what could have been happening right then.

"Boo!"

Tsumi jumped in shock as something suddenly grabbed his shoulder and shouted in his ear, turning around to see Kimiko and trying to control his now sky rocketing pulse. "K-Kimi! You don't have to scare me like that!" Taking in a deep breath and trying to look like the brave demon he was meant to be even though he found himself slightly trembling right then.

"Oh, sorry," The brunette giggling softly under her breath. "I saw you just sitting here and you looked so serious, I just couldn't help myself."

The demon child found himself laughing along with her for a moment, even though it really had frightened him quite a bit. Kimiko waiting until the demon got to his feet to speak, a more adventurous and out of place tone now in her voice. "Alright, come on. We've got somewhere to go."

Somewhere to go? What was she talking about; didn't they have to get back home? "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular, there's just something I want to see before we go back home." Kimiko softly said, the slightly glazed over look in her eyes telling him that something much different might just be going on right then instead of what she was saying. "Trust me."

Tsumi felt that he didn't have much of a choice on this, shrugging to himself before nodding. "Alright, let's go. You lead the way."

The duo walked for what felt like at least an hour to the young boy who didn't know much better, following behind her in gritted down silence, well aware that complaining wouldn't really get him very far even though his feet began to hurt. They seemed to walk through the city without saying anything to one another; something seemed to just be in Kimiko's head the entire time.

'_Don't panic, she's just a bit tired is all.'_ Tsumi trying to distract himself as he looked up to her for a moment, trying not to think about the worst case scenario in this point in time. People get lost in thoughts all the time, he did it, so why would it be out of the ordinary for Kimiko to do something on those lines? Well it shouldn't have been alarming, but whenever they were together, she always seemed to be vibrant and constantly talking. She couldn't be hiding something from him, could she?

He swallowed, suddenly not knowing what to believe.

.

.

.

_A shore?_

Tsumi couldn't believe his eyes as he looked to Kimiko who lay on the sand with a look of serenity suddenly on her face. Something was different about this place that he didn't understand; something had to make this place special from a lot of other areas. Otherwise they wouldn't be here on a whim like this; it wasn't Kimiko's style to do something as sudden and unimportant as that.

"My father used to bring me here…before he died."

Tsumi looked over to the girl, who watched the clouds go by with a soft sea breeze playing with her free brown locks. Was she trying to tell him why this place was important? And so out of the blue like this, almost like she already knew that he was going to ask why they were where they now stood, or in her case lay. "Your father?"

The school girl only nodded, turning and looking to him with her hazel eyes, head propped up thanks to her left arm. "Yeah, back when he was alive he used to spoil me and my siblings. We'd go on trips, or he'd just show up with random little gifts suddenly. But I always wanted to go to the beach; that was the place I always felt I had to go to. He always used to laugh when I begged him, promising we would another day no matter what." A soft and somewhat sad smile slowly taking over her lips. "I don't know how he was always smiling when I asked that, it's like that never got old. I'm sure I whined, or got annoying, but no matter what he'd always just keep smiling to me. Maybe it was because it just reminded him that he was the greatest thing ever back then, or maybe it because I was so young and naïve, but whatever the case, I don't think I can ever remember a time when he wasn't smiling to me."

The demon nodded, sitting down in the sand beside her. "It sounds like your father was a really good man; I wish I could have met him."

"He would have liked you," Kimiko rolling over to her side and looking at her partner with a gentle look. "What about your parents? I know they're not on Earth, so you've never told me anything about them."

Tsumi's body went ridged as he heard the girl ask that, hanging his head in hidden shame for a moment before looking to her with his violet eyes. "I-I never met them." Seeing her look of pity and upset as she looked him over, obviously a little embarrassed that she had asked something that made him visibly upset. "At least that I can remember, I lost the both of my parents when I was a little baby in an accident. I lived around the palace area or spent my time traveling or wandering around. But I preferred to stay in the royal city above all other places, which is why I know the king so well and why I am in this battle in the first place."

"So, you know nothing about them?"

"I don't know anything," The boy pausing in a bit of dismay. "Every time I would bring them up, somebody would change the subject or ignore everything I was saying all together. Almost like they were some group of criminals or something like that."

The girl sat up, brushing the sand off her clothing before ruffling his purple hair softly. "Well, we may know nothing about them, but I am sure they were great people and I'm sure they would very proud of you if they could see what you are doing right now."

Tsumi softly laughed to himself, smiling to his bookreader. "Thanks, I really hope they are." The girl standing up and brushing off her skirt, signaling that she must have gotten whatever she had wanted to get before by able to just sit in the sand and remember some of the better memories she held onto. This was all she needed, this little bit of calamity was the only thing that could reassure her at this point and it worked. "Alright, let's get going."

"Mi-Bakudan!"

Tsumi whirled around and he heard the sound of a spell being shouted out, finding a blast of water coming straight at him as he shoved Kimiko out of the way and back into the sand. The water crashing into him only for the demon child to find that it was scalding, screaming in both shock and pain as the force of the stream along with the heat began to pound into him.

The brunette quickly reached into her book bag after getting over the initial shock of Tsumi beginning to scream in agony, pulling out the purple book and opening it as Tsumi let out another shriek, shivers running down her spine as she heard how painful it sounded. Turning and looking to her partner in shock and fear. "A-Are you okay?"

The demon nodded slowly, getting to his feet and brushing off the sand that now clung to his body. "I'm fine." Then beginning to look around in desperation, narrowing his eyes. "Where are they? The demon and book reader. Where are they hiding?"

Kimiko looked around for a moment, soon finding that the duo they were looking for stood out in the water on a sand dune. "Found them."

The two simply stood there, saying nothing to anybody or even moving. The demon having long blue hair in twin pigtails that blew in the wind, wearing a white tunic and having emotionless green eyes. The human having long black hair, emotionless blue eyes and wearing nothing but swim shorts. It was pretty obvious that this wasn't right.

"They're in that trance thing." Kimiko couldn't help but point this out, figuring this would be important for the both of them to remember. Without having anything to worry about, they would be harder to fight. "Just like those guys who used metal spells."

The boy frowned to himself, unable to believe this was happening again before shaking his head. "Alright, let's do this quickly." Tightening his fists and getting himself ready to fight.

Tsumi and Kimiko both took off into the water, shoes and all. Spellbook in the girl's hand while the little boy tried to think logically about what to do, knowing that this would probably not have a happy ending. His arms stinging and his legs a little numb thanks to the water spell, the child shaking it off only because he knew that he still had to fight.

"Rachido!"

As soon as they were close enough to make a hit, Kimiko called out the spell, watching the poison gas leave the mouth of her demon and head towards the duo they were fighting against. Figuring this would work well since they didn't seem to have any interest in leaving the dune as the salt water began to burn at Kimiko's ankles, the girl trying to keep herself from starting to desperately itch it.

"Mi-Bakudan!"

That didn't sound right, the school girl turning to see that the demon had created another blast of water and sent it right into the Rachido which began to bubble on impact and created a singing gas that began spreading itself in the air. Tsumi covering his mouth and trying not to inhale any of it in as he watched them both in shock. "N-No, way!"

Kimiko nodded, trying to keep her mind straight as she thought about everything that might happen after this. The first person in this situation had been so shaky and unpredictable in a way that didn't give them any advantages. These two however were in slightly more control, obviously knowing how to counter a little better than the ones before them. "We'll figure something out; we just need to buy some time before I figure everything out and come up with a plan."

The poison child nodded slowly, grateful she had at least a little idea of what they were going to be doing right here and now. "Alright, hurry." Watching the duo before them barely move and narrowing his eyes with awareness.

The bookreader seemed so soulless, his blue eyes being so empty and his breathing shallow. However, the only little bit of humanity inside him seemed to appear when he looked to Tsumi and slightly trembled. The child gasping in shock as he found that whoever was doing this to him didn't take away all of his consciousness.

Did they even want to fight?

No, he couldn't focus on this right now, if it meant freeing these two from whatever prison they were in, he would burn the book. It may not be the most noble way to handle this, but it was the only way he could think of that would both protect himself and free these people from a prison he wasn't all that sure about.

"Misuto!"

Tsumi whirled around to see his partner waiting to see what was coming with her eyes narrowed, obviously plotting as her grip on the cover of the spellbook tightened. She gave him a look that told him to turn back around, then bracing herself for whatever impact was about to come.

Tsumi watched as a tidal wave was formed before them both, gasping as he began to worry about the temperature of the water heading towards him. Holding his ground even so as he watched the soulless eyes of the bookreader.

This wasn't going to end so easily, not when they were fighting in their own enemies element.

"Rerano!"

Kimiko gritted her teeth as she called out the spell, praying for the diversion she had wanted. The shield appearing right before Tsumi who had covered his face with his arms in fear of the boiling water scalding or even scaring his face, removing them as he watched the spinning shield but frowned anyhow. The child quickly turning to the high school girl with desperation, eyes wide. "Protect the book!"

The girl took it in her arms, shielding it from anything as she clasped it close to her chest and braced for whatever was going to happen.

The tidal wave began to hit, the Rerano spell seeming to cut right through a majority of it, but scalding bursts of water still did manage to get through and burn Tsumi's skin, the child crying out as he felt a sharp pain begin to tug at his legs. However, he forced himself to stay standing up, waiting until the wave and shield were both completely gone to turn back to his partner.

Kimiko stood there for a moment before pulling the book away from her chest, looking to him in relief and showing him that the novel was completely dry. However, she wasn't the same, her arms and legs slightly burned thanks to the water. "Ready for the next attack? I know what we're going to do now."

Tsumi put away all of his feelings of fear for her well-being for a moment and nodded, smiling softly in a powerful way. "Yeah. Let's do this!" The child feeling no need to show her that he was afraid of any further attack that might be sent his way.

The school girl smiled softly, thinking about how proud her teacher would be if he could only see what she was about to do with what she had learned a few days ago. Just as Kenja had said, if you mixed X and Y solution, which she had right in front of her, they would explode.

At least she could only hope this would work like the board had told her it would. Oh, please do! "Rachido!"

The poison demon child released a shot of the acidic gas, watching the soulless book reader focus on him for only a moment before retaliating. "Mi-Bakudan!" The shot of water running into the Rachido and creating another wave of gas that set itself up in the air, floating above them in a ghastly shade of slight grey.

Kimiko smiling all the while as she watched this happen. "A perfect chain reaction, now all I need is some power, from something like an acid." The girl giggling to herself in joy before looking over to her partner. "Tsumi! Look up at the sky!" The child loyally doing so, completely unaware of what was going to happen next. But the actions of Chemistry at work probably wouldn't interest him all that much, well at least the mechanics wouldn't.

"Rachido!"

The acidic gas soon began heading up towards the grey creation from before, Kimiko grabbing the collar of Tsumi's cloak and running back to the shore in awareness of just what was about to happen. The entranced duo on the dune staying completely still as the child never stopped watching them.

Moments after the two of them hit the dry sand and Kimiko braced for impact with the book against her chest, the Rachido hit the grey gas from before. In a matter of moments everything around that area erupted in an explosion, water flying around in a flurry as if to cover up whatever was happening to their enemies on the other side.

When the water did calm down, Tsumi stood up and rushed right back into the ocean. Finding that the two lay on the sand dune, the book in the hands of the bookreader set ablaze. The boy wasting no time as he took the demon by the collar, shaking him in desperation until the green eyes gained life as they looked up at him in shock. The poison victor holding back all emotions as he shouted only one thing. "Who did this to you!?"

The water demon looked up at him silently for a moment, obviously both confused and upset. "I-I don't know. All I can remember is he had a cold voice, a cold voice that wanted to swallow every bit of me if it had the chance." The child shuddering in Tsumi's arms before the last bit of the book faded away, leaving the demon to do the same right before the stunned Tsumi's eyes.

Kimiko had woken the bookreader, who only said the same thing about a cold voice that wanted to swallow every bit of him. This wasn't helping them very much, letting the bookreader leave because both figured he was in no shape to be interrogated by them both right after losing his partner and having no honest clue what he had just been through or even where he was.

"It's another demon doing this." Tsumi said suddenly as the both were walking back from the beach, holding his burned arm tightly in the one palm that hadn't been scalded by another attack.

"What do you mean, another demon?" Kimiko watching him in slight worry as she noticed the serious look in his violet eyes. Or was it maturity imbedded within them?

"I mean that somebody has the power to control these partners. That somebody is toying with them and with us. What's scary it that I'm worried whoever this is might decide they want us to be their next playthings. That they might decide that we'd be the next fun people to try and play games with or make toys of."

The school girl only shook her head. "That won't happen, they won't be able to take us, we're too strong for something like that."

The demon turned around to face her. "I can only hope you're right, because we might not have a lot of time to figure out what's going on around here. We have to find out who's doing this to other pairs of partners in this battle and fast. If we let this happen, eventually we'll be under control or somebody we are close with will. Can you imagine if this happened to Kenja, or if we had to fight him and Kesai?"

Kimiko nodded, gritting her teeth. "Yeah, it's going to be a race against time to protect ourselves and everybody. Don't worry; we'll be able to do this. We'll take them out and stop this."

_At least, I only hope we can._


	9. Haruo and Hayao

_Alright so with my luck I am able to give you another chapter of Demon Battle Rises before I am completely gone. But even though sixteen hours in the car is pretty hard to take, I have written a new chapter of the story, one that I had to rewrite multiple times and now I finally have it just the way I want it. But, we shouldn't be focusing on chapter 20 when we have chapter eight to read! Well, it's getting late over here now and I have another day of driving ahead of me._

_I now bid you all farewell for what will either be a week and a half if I get to spend a night with a family member at a hotel or if I won't be able to upload until around the end of July. But either way, I hope to see you all soon. Enjoy the eighth chapter of Demon Battle Rises._

_xKiha_

* * *

"_What in the world did you two fight?"_

Kimiko sighed as she sat on the metal hospital table in one of the rooms, feeling the cool rubbing alcohol enter the slight burns she had on her arms and legs. It burned a lot, the girl trying to hold in her cries of pain and any reaction at all to make sure she acted more like an adult. After all, the idea of a student a year older than her having to watch her cry in pain over a few burns would be absolutely humiliating.

Tsumi lay beside her, gray face a pale that made the school girl worry about his health. He had gotten his burns treated first and since he had been the one to take a majority of the hits in this fight, it was no wonder that poor Tsumi had been absolutely covered in rubbing alcohol to clean everything before having a strong burn cream being place on his skin. His cries hurting Kimiko by just watching it unfold right in front of her eyes, swallowing her own shame in letting him take so many hits when she was barely touched herself.

"We got into a fight with a water demon, a demon which happened to love raising the temperature of the water to unbearable levels of heat." The girl biting into her lip as more of the rubbing alcohol met her burns. "This actually is the first battle that's involved me being hurt by any kinds of spells." Cheshire only hurt Tsumi with her claws while her spells only defended her and put the child to sleep while the two with silver eyes never managed to do as much damage they should have been able to. Tsumi had a spear graze his chest, but luckily it wasn't too major for them to have to consider the hospital, which for them had been a god sent.

This was the first time they were forced to visit the hospital because of their fear in what would happen if they didn't get the burns treated.

Flynn slightly nodded as he looked the girl over after finishing with the rubbing alcohol, going over to get the bottle of burn cream. "I see, well I figured this fight wouldn't be an easy one. I'm glad you asked for me to help you two out after this. You can keep me updated on this battle if nothing else, not to mention you won't have to lie to me when you explain what happened to you two."

Kimiko couldn't help but feel a little surprised that Flynn wanted to keep himself involved with this fight so much, frowning. "So, you're not a bookreader, right?"

"Nope." Flynn beginning to place the cold cream against her stinging and cleaned burns. "I don't have a spellbook or a demon. I just happen to know a few demons and bookreaders like you, so I always have an idea of what's going on and what exactly this fight is like." His voice slightly sullen when he said this, almost as if he kind of wanted to have a book and a partner like she and a few other people he knew had.

The girl just looked into his heterochromic eyes in a bit of nervous silence, cringing every once in a while at the sting of her burns being touched by his hands. She continued to just trust him though, knowing he knew a lot about what he was doing while she was nothing more than another person visiting him with no experience in the medical field at all. However, she knew if she ever needed to see anybody after being hurt in a fight she would come right to him, to see the one person in this place she would never have to lie to felt a lot more reassuring. It made him all the more trustworthy in her eyes if anything at all.

"Which reminds me." Flynn getting up to remove his gloves and wash his hands. "Kenja checked out of the hospital today, saying he was going home for a while before maybe going over to your home to see if you two could talk about various things like battle plans and how exactly the both of you could work as a team. Kesai didn't seem as thrilled about it, but he didn't seem to be in the worst mood, so I'm sure he'll get over whatever is bothering him by the time they both come to visit."

Kimiko beamed, watching Flynn dry his hands. "I'm glad they left and the fact that he wants to start working together right away is a good sign. It won't be a mistake for us to start working together, I'm sure that we'll make a perfect team."

The young doctor only smiled back to the brunette as he detected her pure joy in this situation, looking to Tsumi as he wondered how long it would take them both to completely heal from this fight. Probably longer than usual only because they would most likely be thrust into battle before they got time to do nothing but relax and plan out their next strategy.

Which couldn't have been more right in this situation, because unknown to Flynn or the poison duo they would be fighting very soon from this moment.

.

Kenja frowned as he looked over the houses in the urban side of their city, none of them seeming to be the one he was exactly looking for. Unable to shake the feeling that he was making the wrong choice when it came to looking for where exactly Kimiko lived to see if he could get a better idea of what exactly they could do with their spells. It was becoming slightly more obvious that this wasn't very smart as he figured he was lost.

Which of course was all the more humiliating when the people around him constantly praised him for being a genius. A genius who could never always find the right directions.

"Told you this wasn't a good idea." Kesai standing beside him with his arms folded, a slightly cocky look in his green eyes that teased at his partner. "We don't need friends in this fight and now the world is agreeing with me. If we were supposed to make friends with them, it wouldn't be this hard to find them."

The blond turned to the kitsune child, giving a shake of his head. "No, this has nothing to do with what _you _want to happen. This has to do with the horrible sense of direction we both seem to have when it comes to locating certain things we need at various times." The demon rolling his eyes as he realized Kenja was speaking about his difficulty to always locate the grocery store when he constantly continued to state he knew everything about this town. A few times of disappointing his bookreader after coming back empty handed still hadn't taught him the lesson he obviously needed to learn

Kenja smiled softly as he realized he had managed to silence the child, at least for now that is. Continuing to walk through the streets for a while, looking from house to house with Kesai stalking behind him in a slight huff of frustration. Walking through rows upon rows of homes to no avail, which was beginning to aggravate the almost always calm blond, clenching his fists ever so slightly before letting out a deep sigh. "Nothing this simple should become so difficult."

Kesai nodded, opening his mouth to say something when something suddenly silenced him entirely, his ears going flat against his long red locks before slowly lifting and beginning to shift, picking up on something he didn't exactly like feeling. "Kenja, get the book."

"Kesai, what is it?"

"Get the book, _now._"

The blond had no idea what was going on as the child became more and more desperate, reaching into his bag and pulling out an orange spellbook which he clutched to his chest, narrowing his eyes. "Alright, now what is it?"

"You'll see. Just do everything I say and this won't be as hard as I'm worried this is going to be."

The seriousness in Kesai's voice made Kenja rather nervous, biting into the skin of his lower lip and trying not to think about what was most likely about to happen. They had fought before, but something was different about this time and whatever it was this didn't feel good. Kesai usually mocked the idea of a fight, attacking right away and enjoying every moment, but this time he carried himself with seriousness with eyes narrowed and fists clenched. The teenager could only hope this was just the kitsune child trying to take things more serious, nothing that might be worth fearing.

"Yujaganshi!"

Kesai turned to Kenja, giving him a nod to counter right away as the teenager tried to balance his weight. "Hi-Ken!"

A burst of flame escaped the open palms of Kesai, fire racing through his hands and shooting into the open sky. Kenja looking around to see what had shouted out a spell only to find nothing coming at their own attack. Had they already destroyed it? No, he would have seen something come at them or happen.

Kesai's ears then moved, the kitsune frowning as he turned his head to see a purple ball of energy being shot at the two from behind. "Get down!" His voice desperate as his bookreader trembled and went to move out of the way, but anything but fast enough. The demon finding himself rushed as he shifted on his weight, rushing forward and pushing Kenja to the side, the human falling into the sidewalk as the energy went forward, Kesai narrowly dodging the spell in shocked awe.

"Tch, just as simple as ever, Kesai."

Right away the child recognized the voice that was beginning to speak, frowning to himself and clenching his fists with frustration and bottled up anger. "It's you."

A sharp laughing entered the ears of the partners under fire spells, a demon suddenly teleporting before them along with his bookreader. "That's all I get? I would have expected a little more from you, but at least you remember who I am."

The demon standing before him was slightly shorter than Kesai, his arms folded and a cocky smirk on his face. He had short black hair with white accents, his eyes a stone cold red color that matched Kesai's hair and wearing a black tunic. However, the interesting thing about this demon was his forehead, because in the center of his forehead there sat an open eye that studied him, the iris purple instead of the cold red the others were. The partner was probably two years older that Kenja, having long auburn hair peeking out of a black wool hat he wore on his head and glimmering green eyes. He wore a white jacket, orange t-shirt, black fingerless gloves, blue jeans and white nikes. He simply smiled to them, not seeming to have anything to say to either partner.

Kenja only frowned as he looked over the both of them, then turning to Kesai in desperation for understanding. "Who is that?"

"That's Hauro," The kitsune's ears completely down now as he gave Kenja a backwards look of both hate and slight confusion. "He was a sparring partner of mine and we were for the most part even when it came to everything. He never really liked me that much, because one day he went too far and resorted to his spells. Ever since even the mention of one to the other could have gotten you hurt in demon world. I didn't know he was in the fight as well."

Haruo didn't seem that upset at Kesai's vague description of him, but did grin in joy when the fire demon spoke about him using his spells. Turning to his bookreader and smiling in anticipation and joy. "This is the demon I told you we needed to find, Xenolith said we could touch him so let's do this before we go back to looking for the-" Turning and whispering the rest to the boy who only smiled deviously as he seemed to process everything the young child was telling him.

Kenja wasn't very fond of this, turning to his partner and sighing. "This isn't good, you know only one of our spells actually is offensive, the others don't do that kind of thing." The demon child nodding in dismay and biting at his lip. "We have to do this, I won't go out of this fight by losing to Haruo."

"Yujaganshi!" The bookreader's voice full of a deep joy, Haruo holding out his left hand as a ball of dark energy began to grow, waiting until it was the perfect size for his preference before releasing it and sending it at the others.

The blond teenager got to his feet, clutching his orange book and taking in a deep breath. "Hi-Ken!" Kesai shooting the flames from his hands once more in prayer that it would manage to be so much more useful, the fire shooting forward and right at the energy ball. Haruo smiling in joy as he watched this happen, the pupil in his third eye suddenly dilated. The energy ball trembling and bursting before the flames could even touch it, which sent both the access energy and the flames right back at the fire duo, who hadn't been expecting anything like this and were sent flying back into the pavement behind them.

This wasn't looking good, Kenja choking on the cold air as his back smashed into the ground.

"K-Kenja!"

.

"What was that?"

Kimiko and Tsumi had been walking home when they both noticed something erupting close by where they were, turning and looking to one another in realization that this might not be a good thing. The girl freeing her spellbook from her satchel before looking to her partner, who gave her an understanding nod. "Let's go."

The both of them quickly taking off in fear that this might just be their new ally in a fight with another person under a trance. Would they have any idea how to take down somebody like that? Well, Kenja did say they had unlocked three spells so they could most likely hold their own, but still this didn't leave Kimiko any more comfortable. He was her only teammate in this fight which meant even if he didn't need her right then she would still be there if he ever did.

As the duo got to where they figured the fight was going on, that was confirmed for them both. Kenja coughing harshly but on his feet with the book in his hands, Kesai's ears flat against his hair as he looked from the demon standing before him to his bookreader. He then noticed the other two, frowning to himself before saying something to Kenja softly. The teenager nodding to himself before turning around and seeing Kimiko and Tsumi, azure eyes widening for a moment with surprise and then lowering in joy and relief. "There they are, our allies."

Kimiko nodded as she opened her spell book, noticing Haruo and motioning to Tsumi as they took their places beside Kesai and Kenja, the girl turning to her classmate and smiling softly. "Has he done anything major yet? Are you two hurt at all?"

"He uses dark energy spells and we're fine, the explosion just stunned us a little bit." The blond boy smiling softly and opening his book. "However, now we'll get to show one another some of our spells."

"Yujaganshi!" Haruo frowning to himself as he generated another ball of dark energy, making this one larger than the one he had created before. Something felt familiar about the child he was looking at right then, something that was burning at the back of his mind and bringing frustration.

"Hi-K-" Kenja readying his book and himself for a spell only for Kimiko to shake her head, holding her own book and nodding to her partner as Kesai frowned in disapproval. "Rerano!" The shield appearing and doing its normal thing, stunning Haruo as it managed to destroy the dark energy and leaving Kesai and Kenja in awe of what exactly they just managed to witness unfold before their very eyes.

"That was amazing." The blond trembling in excitement and awe while his partner folded his arms in silent gratitude. Tsumi smiling softly at their thanks but remembering the fight before and that the spell wasn't flawless. "Thank you, I'm glad it didn't mess up this time."

Haruo looked over Tsumi, folding his arms as something began to stick into him. Could that be the poison child that his master had mentioned before? It could well be, after all a lot of the puppets had been sent here to try and destroy them only to end up being destroyed themselves. Well, there was only one way to find out if he had found the person he had been told to keep an eye out for while doing what he had requested to do. "Hayao, use the second spell." The bookreader snickering softly before nodding in a sickly looking joy.

"Yuyouko!"

Darkness erupted from his hands, creating what seemed to be a pure and thick beam of nothing but dark energy. Kesai turning to Kenja and nodding with his own hands held out. "Hi-Ken!" The fire that shot out of the child's hands heading towards the spell only for Kimiko to figure she might as well help as well. "Rachido!"

_There we go. _Haruo smiling to himself as he watched the acidic gas flee the mouth of the young demon and along with the fire manage to destroy the darkness but not before a deep haze was created that hid everything from view for a moment. Working once again in the favor of the demon who merely sighed to himself, figuring he couldn't continue this right now. Not with that other child being there as well.

"We will finish this fight Kesai, and that next time it will be without interference."

The kitsune bit into his lip, looking around in intimidation as the haze cleared, noticing that Haruo and Hayao had managed to vanish in the smoke that had been created. Of all the low things he could have done right then, he had the guts to leave from a fight before Kesai was finished! How dare he! "Haruo! You can't just leave! Come back here and let me finish you!"

From where he and his partner stood on a roof close by where the enraged fire demon stood, Haruo only shook his head in both dismay and joy. _'For now, I cannot. However, once Xenolith has the one of poison within his grasp, I will finish this fight and finally get to see your spells and earn the ability to use mine against you for the first time. I cannot wait, until then, my friend.'_ Looking to Hayao before the both of them vanished into nothing but thin air.

.

Kesai folded his arms as he realized no matter how much he yelled it wasn't going to bring the three eyed demon back to fight him, instead it was only going to succeed in boosting the rage that began to grow inside him. "Damn it, you don't just flee from a fight."

"I'm sure he had a good reason, he'll be back to fight you." Kesai turning to see Tsumi looking to him with an offer of friendship through a smile and sympathy. "I'm sure of it."

This only managed to frustrate the kitsune who wasn't exactly in the mood to make friends with the poison demon that he wasn't very thrilled about being 'partners' with right then. "Yes, because it makes it so much better now that I have the hero's positivity!" Folding his arms as his ears lowered. "Oh, tell me Tsumi, how many spells do you have?"

"Two."

"I have three, so I don't need you watching my back."

Kimiko looked to Kenja who sighed to himself, his eyes apologetic. "He's usually like this for a while, but I promise he'll warm up to Tsumi. He won't admit it, but I'm sure he's glad that you showed up and that he managed to get a glimpse of what you both can do and so am I."

The brunette nodded, smiling to Kenja before getting more serious. "That's good that you both are glad we can help you out. Anyways, I think you should probably come over, something is going wrong in this battle right now and we only know one thing. We only know that another demon is responsible for it, we don't know who or why, all we know is they are using teams like puppets and we need to stop it."

"I understand."


	10. Amera and Kyo

_Hey guys, _

_Well I did say I would be back, I didn't think I would be this exhausted or come back so irritated with myself thanks to my fail of a writers retreat. Three chapters, that's what I got done and it's funny because I had quite a bit of time on my hands. I watched a lot of Yu Yu Hakusho, but barely wrote. On the bright side however, I finally have all the profiles for my Zofis, Zeon and Clear Note, of course you already know our Zofis, at least you will. ;)_

_Anyways, I'm in a hotel in Middleton WI for the night and will hopefully make it home by tomorrow but well, I just don't know where I'll end up. Alright, I should probably stop stalling and give you the next chapter before I pass out on this couch. Talk soon, hopefully tomorrow, love you guys._

_xKiha_

* * *

"_Alright, I got it. We do not know anything about this guy other than he controls other demons and bookreaders. It's a mystery that we have to stop before it goes too far and others, like possible friends or even ourselves become infected as well."_

_Kimiko nodded slowly, her book in her lap and her hands on a cup of tea. "Yeah, that's what we know right now."_

_"Well, to be able to take over so many people must mean they are stronger than we thought before, which means that you and I alone probably won't be able to win against this guy." Kenja taking a sip from his cup before blinking his mindful azure eyes. "We are going to need to find more people to team up with us if we want to make it out here."_

_The girl sighed to herself, Kenja wasn't wrong on this one. Well, he was barely wrong, but this time was more serious than the other times. Sure they had managed to fight people before, but what if this person was stronger than they had anticipated and took down the two with ease? Sure, training could help them, but strength also comes in numbers during a war. It doesn't matter how strong your right hand soldier is, your entire army better be strong and two demons weren't enough to make a proper army. "I guess that means we need to make more friends while we gather more information on whatever is doing this."_

_The blond boy only nodded, taking another sip before turning to see Kesai and Tsumi, both watching one another with serious glares as the school boy only tried to laugh their tension off. It was beyond him why the two couldn't play nice, but he knew that stepping in the middle wouldn't help. They'd make friends in their own time, or at least he hoped they would. "Well, these two will need all the help they are going to get. There is no use in not trying anyways; the worst we could end up with is a refusal to help."_

_Yeah, there wasn't really that much to lose when it came to making decisions on their next plan of action and although making friends had never been an easy thing for Kimiko, there was no doubt that she could figure this out and find at least one team willing to fight alongside her and Kenja in whatever happened next. At least one more friend to help build this duo into a trio of worthy power._

_._

_._

_._

"Did you see this article by any chance?"

Kimiko looked up from her breakfast, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion before looking to her mother who held the lively Taiki on her hip. The brunette looking down to the newspaper her mother had thrown onto the table to get the girl's attention. "Hn, no, I hadn't seen anything." Placing her chopsticks down and picking up the newspaper to see what was on the front page.

'Another Bizarre Destruction; Town Continues to be Destroyed by a Mysterious Force.'

'A mysterious force?' Kimiko biting into her lip as she looked to the article, finding the photograph of an old abandoned building half destroyed. Finding that it took place in Sendai instead of Otaru where she lived. However, as she looked over to picture and continued to frown. Nothing could do this better than a demon, which meant that there were things going on over there. Weather it was a good or bad thing she didn't know, but it could be useful no matter what it was. "Wow, that's amazing, look at that building."

"I wonder what had the strength to do something like that." Her mother leaning against the table after sitting Taiki in his high chair. "One side is completely blown off, it's frightening."

The brunette nodded, trying not to think about the fact that she would end up going there most likely today. "Yeah, I don't even want to think about what did it." After all, since her mother knew nothing about the demon battle she had no reason to mention what she was positive had done what they were both looking at right then.

"I hope we can figure it out soon enough, that way we can make sure it won't happen again."

Tsumi then walked into the room, rubbing his eyes viciously before taking a seat beside his bookreader. She turned to him the moment her mother went to get the demon child and her son something to eat, holding out the newspaper. "There are demon battles going on in Sendai and we have to investigate."

"Why?" Tsumi's voice soft and still slightly asleep. "Can't we let them sort this out on their own instead of getting ourselves involved?"

Kimiko shook her head, whisper getting slightly more serious. "No, we need to see if they would be willing to be allies with us, Kesai and Kenja. Remember what we talked about yesterday?" The little boy nodding slowly with a slightly more awake blink of understanding. "Yeah, but what happens if they want to fight instead of make friends?"

"Then we get to rack up some battle experience. Alright?"

"Alright."

.

"A train!"

Kimiko looked to Tsumi, seeing the child get excited as their train pulled up and people began boarding, his eyes wide as he looked over the outside of the locomotive with pure joy spread across his face. The teenager laughing softly as she watched the child clench his fists together, keeping himself still but feeling nothing but excitement. "Calm down, Tsu, it's just a train."

"Nuh-uh." The demon child looking up to her with his excitement still in tact. "Look at how cool it is!"

Well, maybe a train can be exciting the first time you see one. Let's just hope he composed himself when the train starts moving. Kimiko looking to her partner once more before boarding the train, the poison demon following at her heels. His eyes wide as he took a seat, looking to Kimiko who respectfully sat on the opposite bench so she could face him, the excitement in him seeming to die down slightly when he watched her pull out the newspaper from before. "So, this is really serious, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I don't think Rachido could do something like that," The brunette placing the paper on her lap and facing him. "Something powerful and controlled did something like that and I'm not sure how they managed to do it."

"Maybe their spells send things to mysterious locations or just make things vanish. They could just have broken everything into pieces so tiny nobody can see them."

Kimiko softly smiled at Tsumi's idea of what happened, shrugging to him slowly. "I guess they could have, but we're going to have to find out, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but are you nervous about what's going to happen?"

The girl blinked, having to consider that question very carefully before she even thought about answering the simple enough thing. "I guess I am, everytime we do this kind of a thing we're taking a risk that could easily destroy us or benefit us. However, if we didn't risk everything every time we went into a fight, I don't think we'd be able to keep going on like we do."

Tsumi blinked, nodding slowly. "Everything is a gamble, isn't it? We never really have a choice with what happens next, but dumb luck keeps protecting us."

"Nobody ever said dumb luck, maybe we're just doing the right things but don't know it."

The poison demon smiled softly, that's true enough. Nobody ever told either of them that they had nothing but dumb luck, even though he had always secretly wondered why everything had been going so smoothly up until that point with them. Sure they had been in fights, but unlike Kimiko he was completely aware of how bloody these fights were supposed to get when it came down to it. Maybe not yet, but eventually his blood would spill.

"Welcome to Sendai."

Tsumi looked around the train station, his eyes wide as he watched the train leave. "This is where we had to go?" The girl only nodding to him before beginning to walk out of the station, the demon following behind her loyally but continuing to look around.

After wandering around for a little while, the both of them managed to find the way out of the station, Kimiko frowning to herself as she looked around before pulling out the news article again, studying it for only a moment before beginning to walk again.

"The weather is nicer here, not as cold." Tsumi couldn't help but say this as they began to walk down the sidewalk.

"The climate is much nicer here, not as hot as Tokyo and not as cold as Otaru." The girl smiling slightly at his interest in this place. He obviously had never been very far in Japan, maybe the kid did have some dumb luck. Tsumi only nodding after she explained, figuring that he liked this much more than most other places.

The two then began to walk, Kimiko purchasing a map from a person on the street and after sitting down only to figure out where the building there were looking for before getting right back up and beginning to walk again. The entire time she found her heart pounding with anticipation, her right hand relaxing on the white satchel she was carrying with her that held the book just incase they were suddenly jumped by whatever really was that managed to destroy half of what they were now looking for.

.

"It's too hot!"

Tsumi couldn't help but whimper as the warmer November climate began to bother at him, the child removing his cloak in frustration in hopes that a black t-shirt and grey shorts wouldn't be as back as his dark and thick cloak.

The girl went to say something to him, but suddenly stopped. They were getting close to the building right then and now something managed to catch her attention. Walking in the opposite direction that they were was a duo that looked a little peculiar when compared to the rest of the people on the streets that they had managed to encounter.

A rather tall and pale young woman managed to catch Kimiko's eye, having long white hair that managed to grace her knees and grey eyes that seemed very soft. She was wearing a long and flowing white dress that cut low at her shoulders and managed to hit her knees just as her hair did, a sword across her waist that was bound to a belt across her torso. However, what interested the girl the most was that the woman had two horns sticking out of the back of her head, gracefully rounded and curved.

The boy standing beside her was slightly more normal, having slightly tanned skin. He had long black hair tied back in a ponytail that managed to reach the middle of his back and having lively light green eyes. He wore an unbuttoned black t-shirt, tan shorts, black shoes and a black fedora, having a rather feminine appearance but with his open shirt and athletic build Kimiko had no doubts that he was a boy.

Tsumi couldn't help but feel that something was wrong as well, the two teams crossing paths before stopping basically shoulder to shoulder. At once Kimiko turned to face them, hand on her satchel, ready for whatever was about to happen. "I take it you are a demon and bookreader."

"Yes," The boy watching her carefully for a moment. "But we're not looking for a fight or anything."

_This is perfect, more than dumb luck. _"Neither are we, we're looking for something else." The girl looking down to Tsumi who only stood there for a moment, not sure what to say but more than curious with what his bookreader was going to say to get these two strangers to listen to her. "We're looking for allies to help us and another team out with something that's going on right now."

The female demon looked over the brunette, biting into her lip and saying nothing as if she had something to say but deeply feared saying it. The raven haired boy speaking instead. "Alies? You can do that in this kind of a thing? Isn't this survival of the fittest, so one person only fights for themself?"

"Not always, at least for now something isn't right. If you're willing to listen, I'll explain what's happening that we need to worry about and get ourselves ready for."

.

"So, that's why we need to get rid of this person no matter what. They're basically destroying this battle but controlling different people."

Kimiko took in a breath as she finished explaining what was going on, the bookreader, who had introduced himself as Kyo Yakage only nodded. "Well, wanting to make this a fair fight isn't a bad thing to help with." Turning to his partner. "Amera, do you know any demons that could do something like that?"

The woman thought about it for a moment, slowly shaking her head soon enough. "I am afraid I do not."

Kyo gave Kimiko an apologetic look, Tsumi looking from one to the other before speaking. "So, would you guys be willing to fight with us?"

"We haven't really gotten into many fights, we only have one spell and the last time we got into a fight our enemy ended up destroying part of a building that's now been on the news for whatever mysterious thing happened." The poison duo exchanging looks to say that they found the answer they used as their excuse for coming here as they did.

Tsumi wasn't going to let this chance slip through his fingers. "That's fine, we only have two spells and we've only fought a few times. We can both pick it up together."

Kyo smirked, figuring this would be alright. "I guess so, it'd be good for us to get some fighting experience in."

Kimiko smiled in joy, the group passing the building Kyo had mentioned moments ago. "That's great, we're going to need you to be there." Tsumi suddenly stopping in his tracks and looking around as he noticed a faint light glowing from inside the rubble, recognising just what kind of a light this was and frowning. "Kimiko."

The girl noticed he was completely frozen, stopping herself and pulling out her spellbook. "Alright, I got it."

"Tenai!"

With that Kimiko and Tsumi both reacted, the school girl pushing Kyo and Amera back before holding out her own book. "Rerano!"

Amera and Kyo watched in shock as a flurry of small drills shot forward through the darkness of the abandoned building, a shield appearing before the poison duo and beginning to spin around them both. However, right as they went to calm down about them being protected, they managed to hear Tsumi let out a cry of sheer pain. The shield fading along with the drills only to show one of the little things had managed to stick itself into the poison demon, who ripped it from his flesh and shuddering right away, blood dripping from his arm as Kimiko gritted her teeth. "Just great, a fight."

The other two rushed over to the poison duo, Kyo removing a yellow book from his bag and giving the brunette a reassuring look. "Hey, don't forget us, we're not going to let you fight alone." Amera nodding in agreement.

Kimiko smiled softly, bowing her head in gratitude for a moment before watching for their enemy who left the building to face them. Just as always Tsumi noticed the soulless eyes of the bookreader and demon, biting at the loose skin on his lower lip. "They're under that spell."

"So, this is what you were speaking about?" Amera looking to their enemies in fascination. "Well, it will be interesting to see what they are capable of while in this state."

Kimiko smirked playfully. "More a pain in the ass than interesting."

"Tenai!"

Tsumi looked to Kimiko, this time both were more than a little aware that Rerano was only good for when the spell was one solid entity instead of a flowing one or something that was made up of smaller things entirely. The girl going to say something when Kyo stepped forward. "Sorusen!"

Amera took her sword from it's sheath, the blade turning from a dull silver to a bright gold as she lunged forward, using this sword to cut through the drills that headed towards the other three with ease. The woman landing on her feet and the tiny bits of remaining drill falling around her body moments later to the awe of the poison duo.

"That was amazing!" Tsumi leaping in joy for a moment. "Amera, you were so fast!"

The young woman was a bit surprised by the child's amazement in what she had just done, voice slightly nervous as she spoke. "T-Thank you, but it was no big deal. I don't need praise or anything."

"Satonei!"

Tsumi glanced over to the next attack coming towards them, which was what seemed to be steel spears flying towards them both, smirking to himself before looking to Amera. "Alright, well can you at least help me burn this book?"

The young woman nodded, holding out her sword. "Of course."  
"Rachido!"

.

Kimiko sighed to Kyo as the train going to Otaru pulled in, obviously a little dismayed by this. "Oh, that's our train. I guess that means we have to get going."

"Well, for now." The brunette looking to him with a cock of the head as the boy explained. "After what we did today, it's like we're supposed to fight together. Anyways, we all have to group together to figure out who's doing that mind control thing."

The poison bookreader nodded, smiling as she took the old article out of her pocket and a pen from her bag, writing down something before handing it to the raven haired boy. "There, keep this with you."

"What is it?" Kyo studying it closely and frowning.

"It's my cellphone number. That way we can keep in contact all the time, through updates about what we've discovered and what new spells we have. Simple little things to keep our alliance strong."

Tsumi and Amera exchanged fond looks, having no problem with this exchange as Kyo gave the girl a smile. "Yeah, I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay."

_Another friend, thank god that wasn't as hard as it should have been. It's going to ge_t_ harder though, because for some reason I am beginning to feel something that's frightening me more than anything else. _

_It's a dark feeling that makes me feel like everything is beginning to fall apart and that there isn't enough time left before something I cannot explain happens. Maybe those spells are getting to my head, but something is coming and I'm scared._


	11. They're after you and Tsumi

_Hey guys,_

_What can I say, well other than spending 17 hours in the car is the WORST way to spend a Saturday. Especially when after getting up at 4 am to start the ride, your stomach decides it wants to burn and hurt the entire seventeen hours. Well, even though the conditions weren't ideal, I am home in the wonderful Lone Star state and now have a week and a half to recharge before marching band camp._

_And with that, I can now bring you chapters again, but just remember that this daily update thing won't last all that long because with only 23 chapters already written, I'm bound to catch up with myself soon enough._

_But anyways, that's unimportant when I have a new chapter of DBR to bring to you now. I hope you enjoy and as always, thanks for reading and never be shy if you want to submit a character, always in need of chapter or mini-arc villains. See you soon,_

_xKiha_

* * *

"_We've got another ally now?" _

Kimiko nodded as she leaned the small of her back against Kenja's desk, giving him a soft smile. "Yup, his name is Kyo and he and his partner Amera will be good members to have around with us. They're both strong and pretty smart, handling the fact that we were suddenly in battle pretty well."

"I see." Kenja taking a sip from his bottle of water. "What kinds of spells did they have?"

"Only one spell right now, which enhanced the sword Amera was carrying, making it much stronger."

The blond boy only nodded to show he was still listening to the girl, watching her gleefully bite into a rice ball as he tried to figure everything out. Since lunch was eaten in the classroom, this always gave the both of them time to speak to one another and try to figure more out. And for the time being, nobody minded that these two wallflowers had made friends, the sickly blond doubted they even noticed. Ever since Haruo and Hayao had shown their faces in battle Kenja had started to become engrossed in trying to figure everything out, they spoke about somebody named Xenolith who the blond figured was the mastermind behind all of this, but he couldn't be certain. "Hold on though."

Kimiko placed her rice ball down, noticing the serious look in her friend's azure eyes. "What is it?"

"Had they ever encountered a demon and bookreader under that trance before?" Kenja narrowing his eyebrows in seriousness.

That's when rationality began to hit the girl, Kimiko shuddering as she looked at her friend, shaking her head. "No, that was the first time they had ever seen something like that before, they had only fought people who were in complete control."

"I don't want to say this," Kenja's voice trailing off with severity. "But I think you and Tsumi are being targeted. Something or should I just say somebody is trying to come after the both of you guys, either they want to weaken you or they really want to wipe you out of this battle in general or there could be a well thought out plan to use you both. But no matter what they want, we can figure that somebody doesn't want you to be doing what you are, which means every friend you bring into this battle will most likely be targeted."

"You really think that somebody wants to come after the both of us?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is what's happening right now. The only thing we need to figure out now is who is doing this and why."

.

.

.

"I don't know! I've never made enemies or anything like that."

Kimiko sighed as Tsumi shook his head, the child unable to come up with anybody who could be doing something like that. Let alone why they would want him when he could barely figure out how he had managed to fight his way to where he was now. "Are you sure, nobody you ever knew or even heard of could use some kind of psychic powers to control other people like puppets?"

"Yes, Kimi, I am positive that I never knew anybody like that!" Tsumi folding his arms as he felt the cold breeze of October tousle his hair from the outdoor cafe table the both were sitting at. "Gosh, why is this suddenly so important to you anyways? What put you over the edge about this person we have known about for some time now?"

Well, it wasn't like lying to the child as going to work very well and since they were both in this thing together she couldn't come up with some stupid delusion and hope the kid was dumb enough to believe it. They were partners, for better or for worse and this meant lying wasn't an option. The brunette rubbing her temple and trying not to let out an exasperated shout, looking up at him and making sure that she sugar coated nothing when she spoke the harsh reality they both live in.

"Whoever is doing this is going after us both, I don't know why and we still don't know how this is happening. However, isn't it a bit strange that Kenja and Kyo knew nothing about the demons and bookreaders being put under those spells? We continue to see it, but nobody else has even heard of what is happening until we show up and it actually happens right before them. Since you have no idea, we're no closer to finding our answer, but we need to watch our backs now because the only thing we do know is that they want us. And if this continues, we could be putting our friends in danger, or even finding ourselves in a situation I don't want to imagine."

Tsumi took in a breath, hearing all of this begin to play with his mind. He didn't understand why somebody else would want to go after him; he didn't have any enemies because he didn't really play with other children. He always kept himself out on his own, which meant he didn't interact with most people or play at all. He just sort of hung around wherever he could before fading into the background of his newest temporary home.

The only person he ever really got to know was the king of the demon world himself; Gash. The more Tsumi thought about it, the more he was reminded of everything that he had believed in the beginning and everything that happened to lead up to where he was now.

A choice, that's all it was, but it was a choice that was made for him.

.

.

.

_Where is he? _

_Gash held in a sigh of slight frustration as he looked around the demons that began crowding his palace. Of course he was thrilled to see everybody here, he never failed to listen and respect everybody who lived in the demon world and this led him to a wonderful legacy as the kind king. However, right then he was looking for somebody specific, narrowing his eyes before smiling to himself. _

_Boo-ya._

"_Tsumi, come here." _

_From the back of the crowd, a young orphan opened his violet eyes in shock at the deep yet friendly voice of the king. Why was he calling him up, had he done something wrong? The poison demon looking around to all the people that soon began to stare at him before hanging his head and walking down the open line the crowd formed in the center of them to where he already knew the blond ruler was waiting for him. _

_The moment he got over there he watched Gash bend down, the child looking to him in a bit of surprise. "K-King Gash, I'm sorry." The little boy hanging his head. _

"_What are you apologizing for?" The blond man giving the child a smile, his long horns curling against his hair like the horns of a ram. "I just wanted to talk to you." _

_Relief filled the little boy for a moment, the man placing his hand against the back of the child before turning back around and waving to the demons around him, smiling in only a way this benevolent man could. "Thank you all, I just need to speak with young Tsumi for a moment." _

_The poison demon had been in the hallways of the palace before, but something about this felt much different as he watched the lightning demon with a puzzled look. Obviously something big was going on under his nose, because all the children in the city seemed antsy and everybody else seemed pretty nervous and yet excited. Something was also different about the King, who seemed more and more exhausted as time passed. _

_Soon they entered a sitting room, the child sitting down on a couch facing opposite of Gash who sat down as well, folding his hands before a grim flash overcame him, entwining his fingers before his voice became more serious. "So, did you hear what is happening soon?" _

"_Uh-uh." The child shaking his head innocently, growing all the more curious as the seconds ticked by. _

"_I am hosting another demon battle soon, to help find a new King for this demon world, even if I'm afraid of doing this." _

_The poison child shivered as he heard the king say this, frowning. "Why are you telling me this?" _

"_I am telling you this, because you are going to be participating." _

_Everything around him suddenly began to fall apart, Tsumi looking up to Gash in nothing but pure terror, shaking his head frantically in the desperation to show that he was anything but interested in competing in the battle. "N-No Sir, please, I don't want to." _

"_Tsumi," Gash taking a step forward and closer to the child who only shuddered when their distance grew shorter. "You have always avoided everybody around this place in an attempt to isolate yourself from the world around you. What you need to understand is that you can't escape the harsh reality of this world, Tsumi. You have more power locked away inside of you than you would ever be able to believe, which is why I am going to send you into this battle, you may disagree with my morals but that will not change my intentions." _

_The young child shook his head with desperate ferocity, voice frail and breaking. "I-I don't want to fight!" _

"_I know you don't, but sometimes life chooses a path for you that nobody expected. The thing that we find most interesting is that sometimes, to get somebody going on that path they need an extra push from somebody else." _

_The King placed his hand on the child's head, ruffling his hair before smiling slightly, his orange eyes glowing. "You are destined for something greater than what you see, Tsumi, all you have to do is open your eyes." _

.

.

.

_Is this what he meant by open your eyes? _

Tsumi looked to Kimiko with a suddenly serious look, nodding. "Alright, this means we can't really stall with getting more information now. This means we have to follow every lead and figure it all out before this person sends something at us that we cannot handle."

Kimiko forced herself to give the child a grim look. "Yeah, there's nothing more we can do."

"I-I," The poison demon sighing as he looked down at his parfait and dropping his spoon onto the table. "I'm not hungry any more. "

"Neither am I." The girl swallowing the lump in her throat as the treat no longer looked very good, leaving a tip for the already paid for and barely touched meal and turning to the kid. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah, let's go."

That slight feeling of being anything but in control was almost sickening to the both of them, beginning to walk down the street in a bit of dismayed silence. Obviously neither of them liked what was going on, no it was more than a little obvious that they weren't fans, but this didn't change reality. For a while they just walked in silence, however as they got to the park something rather strange happened.

"Kiba!"

Tsumi whirled around, pushing Kimiko away as something strange hit the grass inches from where the girl had been standing moments ago, both taking a moment to come to their senses before going to observe what exactly had plunged into the ground.

To their amazement it was a white fang, rather large but still a pearl white fang sticking out of the ground. The poison demon frowning to himself before standing up as his bookreader fumbled through her bag to find the purple novel. "This isn't good."

"Yeah, I got it." Kimiko frowning as she removed the book. "Another person under the spells wants to go after us."

"No, they're awake and aware." Her partner whispered, his eyes locked on their foes.

The girl couldn't believe that, shaking her head. "No, no way that's not possible."

"Believe it!"

The sound of a rather young boy's voice made both Kimiko and Tsumi uncomfortable right away, both bracing themselves for what they were about to see. After all, every fight they had with a person not under the spell didn't end very well.

From a large tree, a young child and a young woman who was most likely in her thirties both sprung down. The child was rather tan, having long golden hair that went to his waist and wearing what looked like a lion's mane around his neck in a necklace like fashion. He had lively brown eyes that were narrowed, wearing nothing but a red loincloth.

The woman had short black hair, rather blank brown eyes and wearing nothing but a white gown that didn't really seem very fit for the first week of November.

"So, you're the boy the Master was talking about." The little child snickering. "I can just hear him now saying, oh Raion, I knew you were the best of my followers!" Spinning around in joy as he giggled with excitement.

Tsumi turned to Kimiko, frowning. "He knows what is going on with the trance spells!"

"Yeah." The school girl bracing herself for the next move from their newfound foes. She could get information out of them, of course she could! All she needed to figure out was how to get into the child's mind.

Raion, as the child was calling himself didn't seem to be that pleased with the fact that instead of being completely terrified of him and his bookreader it seemed the poison duo were both trying to come to some other kind of conclusion. "Juri! The book!" The woman with blank brown eyes barely moving as the book began to glow once again. "Kiba!"

Another fang shot out of the child's mouth, Kimiko narrowing her eyes as she lifted her own book. "Rachido!" The gas fleeing the mouth of Tsumi quickly as the fang smashed itself into the acidic creation, melting it without a lot of difficulty or even hardships.

"N-No way," Raion looking at this in shock, trembling slightly as he looked around to see that his first spell had been completely destroyed when it impacted with the spell of his opponent. "You did that without even trying."

Tsumi nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah, we have poison spells. Acid will melt teeth pretty easily since they're not very strong on their own."

Raion laughed nervously, turning to his partner before shrugging. "Well, I guess my first spell can't take you down, but my second will have no problem!"

Kimiko tried to focus on the bookreader, frowning with slight frustration as she noticed something that wasn't right. The woman seemed emotionless like the people she had seen before under the trance, this wasn't normal which meant that something was more than a little wrong. "Tsumi!"

"Kooria!"

"The bookreader is under the trance!" Kimiko shouted as her partner went to look at her, the spell being called out and frightening the poison duo as they whipped around to see what was happening. "Rerano!"

Their purple shield appeared as always, the two going to duck into it for protection only for seemingly nothing to come after them both. Raion laughing to himself as the two looked around and finding nothing at all

However, moments later something did happen, Tsumi letting out a yell of shock and terror as a solid fang like spike shot through the ground and stabbed itself into the back of the poison demon. Kimiko whipping around to see the child's back beginning to bleed at the cut that sliced into his skin so suddenly, this spell rendering their shield completely useless.

"I knew this spell would catch you both by surprise." Raion laughing to himself as he folded his arms, the Rerano spell fading away as he got a glimpse of the now bleeding Tsumi. "It seems you aren't what the boss really thought you were, too bad."

The boss?

Tsumi forcing himself onto his feet, breathing heavily as he tried to steady himself. "Hey, will you answer one thing for me?" Voice serious, which only caught the attention of the lion like demon who gave him a silent nod. "What did you do to your partner?"

"Juri?" Raion laughing lightly to himself. "She didn't want to work under Lord Xenolith, she thought that putting partner's under trances to do what you wanted them to was wrong. So we simply put her under the trance to make her the perfect partner for me and to make sure that she would listen to the Master."

Kimiko clenched her fists tightly as she heard this, rage beginning to build inside her chest as Tsumi looked at her in a bit of surprise. Kimi wasn't somebody to typically react to something like this in pure rage, frowning ever so slightly before figuring this was happening for a reason he wasn't really understanding and as the brunette opened her mouth he quickly understood.

"That is sickening! You changed the person who you are meant to develop alongside and grow with on this journey! That woman was meant to fight with you, it was your destiny to meet one another and try to achieve the king status by winning side by side! You ruined one of the most sacred bonds in this world, a partner you were destined to fight beside for the good of you both!"

The young poison demon nodded as he clenched his fists. "You will never know what it's like to have a partner to stand beside you no matter what happens, to have a person to care enough to fight beside you even when things get hard or seem their worst!"

Raion only smirked, looking over to the woman under the trance. "Tch, she's better in this state. She cannot complain about what I do and instead remains silent and always does exactly what I say!"

"You're disgusting!"

With that, the purple book began to glow a powerful violet that burned at the next passage, Kimiko holding the novel close as she looked to Tsumi in earned shock. "D-Do you think it could be?" Tsumi wordlessly nodding in awe as the teenager flipped the pages to see what she had predicted. "T-The third spell!"

"N-No way!" Raion shaking his head as shock filled him; there was no way something so good could happen to them right after proclaiming something so stupid. Why does yelling about friendship and partnership earn you a spell? That's not fair!

Kimiko smirked as she steadied herself, Tsumi taking in a deep breath as he glared at his enemy with eyes narrowed. "This is what we meant by partnership! Together we unlocked this next spell and together we _are_ going to defeat you!"


	12. The Third Spell: Rokuryo

_Hey guys, _

_I can bring you this one quickly because I edited it right after I finished posting chapter 10, because it's always better to run through a two parter back to back because it keeps you engaged in the story and the action. Raion, who I had actually forgotten about up until this point, was fun to look back on as I realized just how strange this character is. But, let's face it, in this chapter, Juri steals the spotlight and we get to see a third spell from our poison heroes._

_Anyways, enough stalling, I need to edit chapter twelve. But are you all going to want that chapter tonight, or should I wait until tomorrow? Enjoy the conclusion of the Raion fight and the first glimpse into our true first foe._

_xKiha_

* * *

"_This is what we meant by partnership! Together we unlocked this next spell and together we are going to defeat you!" _

Kimiko gave Tsumi a look of trust, the young demon smiling as he tried to think of what this next spell could do. Whatever it was, it felt powerful and rather exciting to know that they had earned another one. Well, it didn't matter what this was going to be, as long as it was strong enough to take down Raion he didn't really care what it was.

However, the lion like demon wasn't very thrilled with what was going on, clenching his fists as he looked over to his entranced partner with a hating and spiteful look. "Juri! The second spell!"

"Kooria!" The woman standing completely still until she read the spell, Kimiko looking at the woman as she noticed something that didn't exactly seem right on a person in this kind of a situation. She actually thought she saw emotion in the woman's eyes as she looked a little deeper, possibly even tears beginning to form inside the brown irises that the high school girl found herself looking into. This wasn't supposed to happen this way, was it?

"Kimi!" The girl turning to look to her partner who was being careful with every step he took before looking to his bookreader as his eyes went wide. The child taking no time as he ran to her side, shoving her out of the way only to find himself being impaled with the giant fang.

The brunette let out a scream as the top pierced his ribcage, the tip not going all the way through but going through enough for the child to find himself unable to hold in all of his tears. Tsumi trembling as the fang went back into the ground and left him lying there in horror. His partner rushing to his side as she placed her hand gently on his head, running her hands through his hair. "A-Are you okay? S-Sumi!"

"I-I'm okay.." The child trembling as blood began to form from underneath his chest, forcing himself to stand up as he tried to keep his balance while the red liquid once in his body now began to stain the earth. "W-We're not going to go down by the hands of a guy like this." Only waving off Kimiko's words of concern as he took in a shaking breath, it didn't feel good to be standing up at this point and every cell in his body was telling him to rest, but he didn't feel like he had much of a choice in this fight anymore.

"You two are too pathetic; just admit defeat so I don't have to send a dead demon child back to the demon world." Raion giggling to himself as he folded his arms with twisted pleasure. "Honestly, I don't know why there is so much fuss going on about you right now. Who are your parents, kid? Are you the son of some incredible demons? Are you some kind of God spawn?"

Tsumi blinked as he heard this, people were fussing over him? What had he done, geez he wasn't that great! "They're not alive, I never got to meet them."

"So, it doesn't have anything to do with your blood, then what could it be that you have? An overpowered spell maybe?" Raion trying to figure this out as he pursed his lips in curiosity, obviously craving the answer to the question.

"I don't know what I have, I've never fought anybody before, so whatever this person is looking for I don't know."

Kimiko had taken this time to inch closer to Juri while the demons spoke, the woman just continued to stand there stone faced with tears beginning to grace the woman's cheeks, Kimiko not sure what exactly to say as she wondered if it was even possible to provoke a response from the woman. "C-Can you hear me?"

The woman only silently shifted her head to look at the teenager, the tears becoming heavier as she only looked at her. Her jaw shifting as if she wanted to say something but couldn't get any words out no matter how hard she tried. Almost like her mouth had been sewn shut, or something or rather somebody had locked all of those words away.

"We're going to help you, I promise that! Don't be afraid, this is almost over for you."

The look of buried humanity grew from inside Juri, the woman's gaze never leaving Kimiko as she tried to nod in a struggled reply of sorts. So, even moving slightly, like trying to nod, was painful and almost utterly impossible. Kimiko biting her lip in utter disgust and horror. However, to see this woman suffer only helped to build the teenager's rage as she began to tremble with anger. This couldn't continue happening, not like this!

"Juri! The first spell, quickly!"

Tsumi jerked as he noticed Kimiko standing right before Juri with the book in her hand's the boy mortified as he realized this. Rachido wouldn't be able to work from this distance, trembling as he gritted his teeth. "Call out the third spell!"

"Kiba!"

Kimiko looked at the fang headed in her direction, taking in a breath and silently praying this would work the way they needed it to. "The third spell! Rokuryo!"

The girl clenched her eyes closed as she tried not to think about the fang coming for her, her eyelids tightly compressed while her shaking hands pressed the book close to her chest in terror. However, the fang never did come forward and hit her much to the surprise of the girl who opened her eyes to see nothing.

"That was your spell!" Raion blinking in shock as he looked at Tsumi. "How did something like that work properly!"

Tsumi seemed rather proud of whatever he had managed to do with the spell his bookreader hadn't managed to see on her own. Which began to bother the girl who was being silently poked with the shame of having no idea what her own demon's spell had just done. "I don't know, is that why your boss wants me so desperately?"

"I don't think so, that wasn't worth much. It just that the way you used it surprised me a little, it's still nothing amazing, not comparable to something like Baou."

Kimiko sighed as she looked back to the woman, giving her a look of pity and understanding. "Look, I need you to try and fight this as much as you possibly can. Don't let this take you over and consume you, fight with all of your might as we try to get rid of your demon. Because it'll be a lot more meaningful if we know that you're fighting just as hard as we are, I'm sure we can break this thing together."

The woman's jaw once again shifted to show that she really wanted to say something to the girl but was still unable to say anything at all, trying to nod and failing before seeming to figure that nothing was going to work properly. The tears in her eyes however multiplying and racing down her cheeks, which alerted Kimiko to the fact that the woman was obviously fighting an inner war with whatever was trying to take control of her and her own humanity.

Tsumi narrowed his eyes with a growl after looking over to see what was happening between Kimiko and Juri. "That is sickening; your bookreader is trying to take control of her own body because of what you did to her! Don't you even feel the slightest bit horrible for what you are putting her though for your own personal gain?"

Raion looked over to Juri, shaking his head and smirking to himself. "Not if I have her doing everything I want her to do without listening to her complain about every little thing I tell her to do. I like this Juri, because she doesn't constantly try to warn me about being bad or making 'wrong' choices." Then holding out one of his hands and smiling. "Juri, the second spell!"

"Kooria!"

Raion snickered at the spell was called, however the book never did glow when the words were said which meant something nobody was ready for. Tsumi looking around and smiling softly. "Looks like it's not going to work anymore, your partner is beginning to resist your orders and power!"

The lion like demon tried to keep himself from yelling out in rage, clenching his teeth together. "I won't let you win, not like this!"

Tsumi turned to Kimiko, giving her a smile of trust and belief. "Are you ready to finish this?" His face had become pale as his cloak was soaked with the blood from the second spell that had managed to destroy part of his body. It only made the brunette worry more about his health, but she knew that there was nothing she could do right now accept finish this.

"Yeah," Kimiko returning to Tsumi's side, holding out her book in anticipation and excitement. " Let's do this quick, I don't want to watch something this sickening anymore!"

"Rokuryo!"

And now that the spell was in play again the girl made sure to keep her eyes open this entire time, watching her demon let out a yell of anger as none other than a shuriken appeared in his hand. It didn't look very special when she looked over it except for the fact that it was glowing with a radiating purple aura. However, as the child tossed it with rather startling accuracy towards the open arms of Juri, it did begin to do some interesting things as it picked up speed.

Acid began to bubble from each of the four tips along with releasing a stream of toxic gas around the weapon to protect and conceal it from everything around it. Riaon freaking out as he watched this happen, rushing to find the shuriken only to be hit by the toxic gas. The moment he inhaled any of it, he fell to the ground, choking in pain as his eyes began to burn with the toxicity and crying out as it began to nip at his fragile skin, his throat being to be torn at from the inside out thanks to breathing this gas in. "No, this can't happen! Not like this!"

Juri noticed the shuriken heading for her, the woman using all of the strength within her to slowly lift the book up in front of her and let it be stabbed by the poison tips that stood before the novel.

Riaon trembled in shock and horror, looking to Tsumi who only struggled over to where the lion like demon lay. He bent down before the kid, shaking his head and smirking. "Alright, you lost, so tell me what is going on here with this boss. You tell me why people are wanting me and why they are using people under trances to make it work for them!"

"Tch," Raion painfully twitching. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"Oh, just admit defeat so I don't have to send a dead demon child back to the demon world." Tsumi figuring if he said what Riaon had before he would at least manage to get somewhere with this stubborn kid. "Your boss can't really get you since you're going back now, so you have nothing holding you back from telling me just what I want to know."

The lion like demon flinched as Tsumi narrowed his eyes, seeing his book was beginning to burn from the poison in the shuriken. "Fine! Fine, I'll tell you what you want to know."

The poison demon nodded, folding his arms with his eyes maturely narrowed. "Alright, then start spilling everything you can."

"I work for a man by the name of Xenolith, a demon with pretty amazing powers. He can turn you into his own personal puppet and send you anywhere he wants to and if he has pure concentration he could even make you say things you wouldn't want to. The closer you are though, the stronger his reign over you is, it can get to the point where you can hear his own heart and voice everywhere with you no matter what happened to you. He loves messing with others, which means scrambling heads and brains happen to be a specialty of his."

Kimiko frowned, looking over to Juri and seeing the woman tremble. "So, does that mean if a person's will is strong enough, they might just be able to break out of the spell they are put under? That maybe, burning the book isn't the only way to free somebody under the trance?"

"I guess so. It seems possible, but I wouldn't know, because most people just spend their time fearing the Master. I've gotten to talk with some people that would rather fight under Xenolith while aware of what they were doing instead of becoming his play thing and being forced to do whatever the man wanted against their own will. All they would talk about was his voice, something cold and deep trying to coax them in ways they could not describe and would usually cry about when they tried to explain it to me."

Tsumi shuddered, trying not to think about what people like Juri or the previous people they had taken out were going through on the inside. "Alright, well I have something else to ask you."

Raion lifted an eyebrow. "Lay it on me."

"Why," The poison demon trying to keep himself calm as he tried to think of a hopefully positive reply to what he was about to say. "Why does Xenolith want me? Out of all demons he is targeting me and why? What did I do?"

"I don't know, he just said he wanted to have the demon that controlled the power of poison. He was just bent on trying to find you and have you, why I am not sure but he wanted to have you with him. Did you two know one another at all? He's not exactly the kind of guy you could forget after meeting him once."

Tsumi only shook his head, Raion taking a deep and shuddering laugh, his body almost entirely faded into golden sparkles of light. "Well, I can't help you out there. Good luck fighting him off, I don't think anybody will be able to take out that bastard without becoming mentally disturbed."

The young poison demon clenched his hands together, balling them into fists. "No, you can't just go now!"

"Too late," Raion taking in a shaky breath as he laughed once more, sounding like he was in slight pain as his chest shook. "I don't really have much of a choice and you can blame yourself for that one, poison kid. You're the one that burned my book."

Without having a chance to say anything else, Tsumi watched as Raion slowly faded completely, his book nothing but a few ashes that now lay in the grass of the park. He turned to Kimiko, trembling as he spoke. "This is going too fast Kimi, this Xenolith wants me and we still don't know why. But we do know he's nothing we want to make friends with and have to fight." The girl nodding as the child took in a breath of air and held it in for a few moments before releasing it.

Then the two heard what sounded like somebody collapsing, turning around to see Juri sitting down on her knees, tears soaking her gown as she harshly sobbed. The teenager rushing to the woman's side, placing her hands against her shoulder and offering her a smile of understanding and compassion. "Are you alright?"

"I-It was so cold! S-So cold!" Wrapping her arms around Kimiko and beginning to sob against the brunette's shoulder, seeking comfort that the girl could only hope she could give in this time of need. "All I could hear was a cold voice, telling me to do what I didn't want to do and forcing me to watch as I did it anyhow. It was my body doing awful things, but I couldn't do anything about it!"

"It's alright, you'er free now and nobody's ever going to take you back there. You'll be safe, it's okay." Kimiko's voice getting soft as she realized just how much she wanted to cry as well, to hold onto somebody else and cry about all of her troubles while the person held onto her lovingly and told her that everything was going to really be alright. "I promise, nobody's ever going to take you back there because we freed you from that today."

.

.

.

"I-I don't want to know what I did that makes this person want me."

Tsumi had gotten back to his feet, stumbling on the path of the park and taking everything rather slow. "I mean, just to know why they have their eye on me, that might be too much."

"Yeah," Kimiko eyeing the child with nervousness as she tried to keep her spirits up. "But we have to figure it all out, or else everybody is going to end up like Juri."

Tsumi turned to the bookreader, sighing to her before tears began to well up in his eyes. "I-I'm scared, Kimi, I'm frightened and I don't want to face my fears anymore. I want to hide away where nobody could ever do something like this. I don't want to handle all of this!"

The brunette bit into her lip, knowing what he meant. Neither of them really felt like they had a choice anymore, but she couldn't coddle him and lie in this kind of a situation. "I know, neither do I. But what choice do we have, if not us then who? We can't do the running away thing, the world won't allow it."

Tsumi tried to hold back his tears, but slowly they won, the child trembling as tears over took him. "K-Kimi." The child taking a step before his eyes got wide and went blank, falling forward and collapsing on the ground.

"T-Tsumi!"


	13. What does Xenolith want with Tsumi?

_Alright, so I guess I am able to give you a second chapter today, and since I just finished watching the first Hobbit movie, so why not give you a chapter mostly just full of character development and exposition. No battles here, but hey, sometimes dialogue is more important._

_Don't worry though, the plot won't be slowing down one bit! But, I know you all are still gleeful about reading this other chapter which means I want you to enjoy it. Read on, my friends._

_xKiha_

* * *

"Thanks for helping us out, I-I don't want to rely on anybody too much, but we didn't really have any choices. Anybody else would just ask questions and I don't think anybody would believe the story about what happened."

Kimiko was huddled up in the front seat, looking to Flynn who sat in the driver's. She had the number of everybody she could consider a friend in the demon battle, which did include the doctor. He was the only person she was positive could drive, which made him the only person who could understand what had just happened and be able to pick them both up without questioning anything because he more or less already knew. She gave him an empty look of fear before sighing and trying not to just loose it right where she sat. "But thank you for doing this; I don't know what I would do without you."

"It's fine," Flynn giving the girl a soft look of understanding. Even though he was a sophomore, he always seemed much wiser than the girl. She respected him for having that maturity. "I couldn't leave you guys here to suffer and I have an idea of what's going on. When you told me how bad Tsumi's wounds were and what was happening, I ran right out of the door because I knew how serious this was."

The brunette tried to keep her tears inside, turning to see Tsumi lying in the back seat of Flynn's car on top of some old blankets and towels to keep the blood from ruining the cloth on the seats. He didn't look very peaceful but rather pained, every once in a while wincing or shifting to let out a painful moan, his eyes tightly clenched shut and his small fangs stabbed into his lower lip. However, all she could think about was one thing.

"I-I should have protected him better, I should have been there to make sure nothing happened. I was in the way, which only got him hurt when he tried to protect me."

The boy with heterochromic eyes shook his head. "You have done all you could."

"N-No, he continues to protect me from harm only to get hurt in the process. It's my fault!" The girl finally losing it as tears began to fly down her cheeks, covering her eyes and sobbing harshly as the thoughts of how it was her fault began to burn in her mind. She couldn't help it, thinking about how this could have been avoided by not being as useless as she felt she was. Any partner would have been better suited than her. She was just a weakling with no fighting experience; all she could do was read that book of his and pray that he could do better than she could.

Flynn only set his hand against the girl's shoulder, giving her a look of compassion and sighing softly. "It's alright, don't cry. Everything is going to be okay, I promise."

.

.

.

"Look, he's doing alright now."

Kimiko had managed to calm herself down as she looked at Tsumi who was now lying in a hospital bed after being cleaned and fixed up properly by Flynn who offered the girl a soft look as he backed off. "See, he's going to be fine and once he wakes up he'll be reassuring you as well that none of this was your fault. He'll probably panic or go into stress if you start crying though, so I'd suggest trying to keep your feeling away. Don't become cold or emotionless, but try not to overwhelm him with all of your feelings on this."

The girl nodded as she looked at him from the hospital chair she was sitting in, sighing to herself. "Alright, I won't make a big deal out of what happened, if it will help Tsumi feel better I will do it for his sake."

"Good." Flynn smiling as he stood up and took a step away from the resting child. "Then I guess we'll just give him some time to sleep off anything that hurts and let time and medicine do what it was meant to do."

"Kimiko!"

Both of them turned right away, seeing the door to the hospital room open and a rather flustered Kenja along with somebody Kimiko was stunned to see standing at the doorway.

Kenja took in a heavy and deep breath as he looked into the hospital room, funny how he was going to visit somebody else in here instead of people coming to see him. Strange, but kind of a nice different as he put more thought into it. After all, nobody liked to spend their days lying in a bed in a plain white room. "H-Hey Kimi, Flynn called me and I rushed to get over here." Then motioning to the person behind him. "We ran into one another as I was racing to get here with Kesai and after realizing we both knew you and were both part of this alliance, we came together."

"Yeah, so what happened?" Kimiko blinking as she realized the person speaking was none other than Kyo, trying to keep herself from blushing or anything as the thought of him being here to see her brought the girl some joy. "Kenja just said that he had gotten the message that you both were in the hospital and that Tsumi was pretty hurt from whatever managed to fight you both."

The girl took in a breath, not wanting to think much about it but figuring she didn't really have much of a choice when she was talking to the other bookreaders. "Well, you see…"

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.

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"I just don't understand it." Kyo frowning as he sat on one of the hospital beds, looking to Tsumi for a moment as he clenched his fists. "Why is this Xenolith guy, this crazy powerful mind controller, want little Tsumi so badly? Did the kid do something to him?"

Kimiko shook her head, sighing deeply. "Tsumi and the demon we got information from didn't know. It's a big mystery to everybody who's gotten themselves involved in this thing."

"Ever thought that Tsumi might have some value to Xenolith?" Everybody directing their attention to Kesai, who had his arms folded as he sat on the floor with ears slightly lowered. This child wasn't exactly interested in this figuring out phase, he was only really here for the coming up fight and because he had been asked to by Kenja. Thinking things through wasn't his specialty, he considered himself more of a you think and I'll bash in faces kind of demon. "The kid might not even know this Puppet Master, but there is probably something that only this guy sees inside him."

Nobody had expected something so wise to come out of the kitsune's mouth, but this was a rational thought that he had. Maybe there wasn't going to be an answer this time but instead they would just have to accept the fact that they were going to go into this scenario completely blind but still willing to fight. He was doing horrible things, so why couldn't that be the motivation they needed to find this demon and take him down?

"That does make sense," Amera suddenly speaking. "I don't see why this isn't a possibility, various demons are known to consume themselves with one or two various things and will dedicate themselves with whatever this thing is. If Xenolith has locked onto Tsumi, then there needn't be a reason other than sheer will and lust."

The brunette sighed as she looked to Amera, figuring she was right. "Is there any way to break such a consumption?"

"Not that I, or any other demon has known of." The woman giving the school girl an understanding look. "All we can do is rid of the problem for now, which means unless we want to continue fighting his puppets until everyone else has been sent back to demon world, we need to fight back on our own."

They didn't really have another choice, Kimiko sighing to herself as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Alright, so once again we come back to the fact that Tsumi and I need to destroy Xenolith to stop all of this madness."

"However," Kenja figuring this was as good of a time as ever to say something else. "What I have begun to question is how come Xenolith has yet to come after Kyo and I. We're rather close to you constantly and it would be the perfect chance for a surprise attack that would most likely succeed. I don't doubt that our enemy is a wise man and probably strategic, but that begs the question of why he wouldn't use us as his own toys as well."

Everything suddenly got quiet, Kenja realizing he might have gone a bit too far out of everybody's mindset at the time, looking around as he sighed. "I'm sorry if I made you all too uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine." Kimiko wringing her fingers together. "We need to have reality nipping at us all the time, so we don't forget how serious something like this is. It's a good point."

"Ever thought that maybe Xenolith is waiting to do something like that?" Kyo adding this as he furrowed his brow in concentration while he spoke. "To spring it on us and suddenly do something of that nature when we are at our lowest point."

"Well, we still do not know how something like this exactly works, but that is a possibility we might need to look into. Until we can properly determine just how he gains the power to take control of minds we need to keep that thought in mind as a possibility for any of us that have come in contact with Kimiko and Tsumi during this battle."

Once again it felt like it was their fault, Kimiko sighing to herself as she tried not to think about it. Maybe Kenja and Kyo were angry about what they had unintentionally done but figured they would stick around because they had nowhere to go and figured this would be slightly beneficial to them. "Do you guys hate us for putting you in this position? I'd understand if you did."

"No," Kyo looking to her in a bit of surprise after she said this. "Why would we be angry with you?"

"Because, after teaming up with us you're now a target of Xenolith's and maybe a future puppet that would be forced to fight against us. Are we really worth all that struggle and risk?"

Kenja shifted from the chair that he sat on, giving her a reassuring smile. "It has nothing to do with the risks we are facing when it comes to who we make friends with in something like this. We remain friends with you because we understand the risks but it doesn't have as much value as having this alliance with Tsumi and you. It means a lot to _all_ of us." His azure eyes looking to Kesai for a moment as the Kitsune fumed and the boy laughed. "Right, Flynn?"

The group directed their attention to the doctor, Kimiko suddenly frowning as she looked into his eyes. He had been standing in the room since Kyo and Kenja had first come along with Kesai and Amera but it had been a little strange that he hadn't said anything at all since the serious demon battle conversation had begun. However, now that the brunette studied him with a frown, she began to notice that something looked a little strange as she looked closer.

"Flynn? Hey, Flynn!" The girl's voice getting a bit desperate as he seemed to just stand there blankly, his heterochromic eyes seeming empty.

"Fukisa!"

The teenager shook his head suddenly, blinking with a look of surprise before focusing on the freshmen with a somewhat confused look. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong," Kesai hissing as he folded his arms. "You went completely blank suddenly, almost like you were one of those people in the trance."

Flynn placed his hand against his temple, reaching behind him and grabbing the counter for support as he gave them a reassuring look. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. I just must have spaced off or something for a little bit."

"T-Try not to do that," Kyo muttering as he managed to relax himself once again from where he was sitting. "If you had a demon with you we might have mistaken you for one of those puppet teams and accidently destroyed you without even thinking about it." Flynn nervously chucking at this, but the seriousness in his eyes succeeding in making Kimiko somewhat uncomfortable with what was going on right then as they spoke.

"What were you thinking about?" Everybody looking to the brunette who suddenly spoke to Flynn who gave her a sideways look before actually beginning to consider just what she had asked himself. "I, well come to think about it I am not sure exactly what I was thinking about. I just sort of faded away from the world for a little bit and your voices brought me back just as quickly as I went away."

With that Kenja looked to Kimiko, giving her an '_this makes me very concerned'_ look as the girl nodded to him with understanding. Neither of them liked where this was going but they didn't want to think about it, however they couldn't consume themselves with the sweet but fake reality they wanted to deal with.

.

.

.

"That reminds me, I was thinking about the alliance."

Kyo and Amera had left a while back to catch the final train to Sendai, which left Kimiko and Kenja alone to try and map out everything and try to make sense of it all in general. They worked at this for a while before the sun had begun to set and the blond boy figured he and the now anxious Kesai better get going. Both then directing their attention to Flynn who had come in a while before to check back on Tsumi, seeing a look of trust and hope in his eyes.

"Yes, what about it?" Kenja brushing a lock of long blond hair out of his eyes while focusing on him. "Is something troubling you about it that you wish to speak about?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that," His cheeks slightly tinting with a light pink both of the freshmen managed to pick up on. "I just have a friend that I think you should both try and make friends with, somebody who just might be interested in joining you both in the alliance you have running."

"Really!" Kimiko getting a little excited as she sat up in her chair. "Who are they, do I know them?"

"Yes, you probably know them," Flynn smiling to the girl sweetly. "Her name as Aislinn Aikihira and I believe she is in your class. 3-D, right?"

A shiver went down the spine of Kimiko, the girl trying not to make a big scene out of knowing who this was and not exactly being on good ground with the person. "Mhmm, I know her from class."

"Well, I think you might want to speak to her, to see if maybe she would like to help you both with the demon battles. She and her partner Cheshire are both very strong and capable on their own, so I am sure they would be great to have when you're fighting people under trances. Aislinn is a pretty smart girl, so it wouldn't hurt to have another brain with the team."

Kenja looked to Kimiko for some kind of a sign only to get something that sort of told him that although she wasn't excited for something like this, that maybe they should give this a try for both Flynn and their growing team. He bit into his cheek, not sure he wanted to know what the history between everybody in this room was or who this Aislinn girl was but judging by the look he just got from the brunette he figured that there wasn't much of a choice in this situation. He was going to meet Aislinn and they were going to try and make friends with them both.

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"There she is, right over there on her own."

Kenja looked to Kimiko as they both held their stuff for lunch for only a moment before redirecting his eyes back to the girl sitting on her own with scars on her face. "Ah, I see. Aislinn is the quiet girl in the room, the person I believe has spoken with only Mister Kincad and nobody else. I always wondered what her name was and more or less what kind of a story she had along with her."

"Yeah," Kimiko softly whispering to her friend. "She and her partner Cheshire fought Tsumi and I and basically destroyed us. I still don't know why she spared us, but I don't want to trust her, it doesn't feel right to try and make friends with the person that almost took you right out of the game. I don't know, she just has this aura that tells me that something's not right about her."

"Yes, well even though we may both object to the idea of doing this, let's at least give this a shot, for Flynn's sake. "

Kimiko nodded, giving her friend an understanding look before they both took in a moment of calamity before going to approach Aislinn.

The girl looked up to the both of them, giving the duo rather cold looks as she placed her chopsticks down. "What do you two want?"

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot and you probably don't want to see me after what happened the last time we spoke to one another. However, I was thinking maybe the both of us could try again and maybe you would even want to be part of our alliance." The girl holding back all of her pride as she gave the girl with scars a soft smile, trying her hardest to keep memories of their fight locked away in her mind.

"Uh," Aislinn narrowing her eyes. "Look, who the hell are you guys?"


	14. Aislinn's Past

_Hey guys,_

_Well, I'm back once again after spending a day of doing absolutely nothing, well other than trying to catch up on AGT and watching my favorite PIXAR flick, UP. Oh, wait, I did do one more thing and that was basically finish Chapter 23 of DBR, which has every member of the spellbook reading roster in one room. Boy was that rough, because every character has their own way of talking and interacting with others and since we have six bookreaders on the final roster well, let's just say it was pretty difficult, not to mention the two non bookreaders on the team too._

_But anyways, I've gotten some work done and thank you to a little thing that somehow has become very critical when I write. And shockingly that's a little 58 minute long youtube video entitled CLANNAD, CLANNAD After story - Sad Soundtrack Collection. Funny story, I honestly do not like Clannad and only like a select few episodes of Clannad After Story, but the music has become very dear to me and you better believe that when I am editing or writing a chapter I am listening to that soundtrack._

_Alright, enough rambling, I better give you the next chapter for your reading pleasure. How about we take a little journey into understanding our Sherry, Aislinn? I am ready, so let's dive on in!_

_xKiha_

* * *

"Uh, who the hell are you?"

Kimiko couldn't believe what she was hearing right then, after a fight like they had managed to have in her home could the girl really be joking about something like this? It wasn't a very funny matter, no not in the slightest. "Uh, Kimiko, I'm the girl you and Cheshire visited and almost burned my book. Don't you remember? My partner, he's a little poison demon?" The girl not very sure what to say other than that as she continued to eye Aislinn with a confused glance.

"I don't remember you," The girl saying somewhat coldly, her eyes now looking over Kenja with little interest. "What about you?"

"In honesty," Kenja's voice never losing its calamity as he spoke to the girl with scars. "We do not know one another, I have seen you in class before but this is the first time we have spoken. Flynn had told us that we might be able to get you to join our alliance in the demon battles that are going on currently."

"Flynn?" Aislinn muttering as if this was the first time she had ever come in contact with this name. "I don't know any of you people."

The blond boy turned to his friend and gave her a confused look only to be given a similar look in return, had she really managed to forget who Kimiko was? How could you forget something like that happened, that kind of power and the fact that Tsumi was even placed in a coma like state in the end wasn't exactly a forgettable thing when you put it to mind. In fact, there were days when Tsumi, and even Kimiko, would rather forget that that all happened.

"Look," The both snapping out of their silent state to see the girl standing up from her desk. "I don't know you and I'm pretty sure I don't want to. It would probably be smart if you would leave me alone."

"Is that so?" Kimiko saying as she reached into her satchel, showing Aislinn the purple spellbook that rested inside comfortably. "I don't think you mean that."

The raven haired girl paused for only a minute to look it over, frowning but never showing as much interest as she probably could have when it came down to it. "You better put that thing away, because I won't hesitate to destroy that thing if you give me the chance or if you even try to strike at me."

"You already spared it," Kimiko saying as she became a little more desperate with getting this possible ally to listen to her. "You had the chance to destroy the book and yet you instead left us be. Now we're coming to you with the chance to have the security of a group, something you shouldn't refuse if you want to have a good strategy."

Aislinn smirked, shaking her head slightly. "I am not going to join a group of strangers." Giving them both a cold glare before walking out of the room and leaving the two teenagers in a little bit of shock.

"What exactly was that about? I thought you said that you and her had battled once and that you were lucky enough to be spared a book burning."

"I don't know why she doesn't remember. I mean, it's clear she wasn't making a joke, but I don't know how somebody could just forget something like that. I don't think I could ever forget a single battle I've fought so far, even if I wanted or begged to."

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"Just remember this much, just because I am going with you still doesn't make us friends. I am going with you for every other reason we decided to come, but not because we're friends."

Tsumi sighed as he looked to Kesai, the child's soft purple eyes focused on the kitsune as he nodded. "Yeah, I know. You don't want to be friends so we're not. Look, right now we need to focus on other things that are more important than why you are afraid to admit you like the security of a group."

The child's ears went flat against his head, hissing back. "No! I don't need the group at all."

Sure, sure. Tsumi beginning to wonder just how the seemingly forever calm Kenja managed to deal with the child the way he did, but somehow all the poison demon could see was the teenager telling him something like how Kesai means well or how he will warm up to everybody eventually. Warm up indeed, his progress so far was rather small and now he was beginning to grow a little annoyed with Kesai's attempts to push him away.

Well, this wasn't worth getting all hyped up about as the two children reached the High School.

"Remind me why we're here again." The redhead folding his arms.

"Hold on, give me a moment." The poison child closing his eyes as he began to focus, waiting a few moments in silence before opening a single eye and focusing it on whatever stood behind him in a few trees. "Cheshire, stop hiding." For a moment there was silence, the child's voice growing a little bit more agitated but still remaining focused. "I know you are there, just come on out."

Kesai then picked up on the sensation of another demon, being able to inhale her scent from where he stood before focusing on some tension with ears pricked straight up. As he became aware of the scent's movements he frowned, taking moments to do the math and figure out just what was going to happen. "Move!"

Tsumi was left in shock as the kitsune suddenly barreled right into him, the both hitting the pavement right as the snow leopard demon hit the ground in what seemed to be a pounce while landing on her feet. Her silver eyes fell onto both of the children right away, frowning. "What do the both of you want?"

"We were actually coming to talk to you about an alliance we have going on right now." Tsumi swallowing back all of his nerves as he spoke, just grateful that her claws weren't out. "We were hoping to see if maybe you and Aislinn would be willing to join us and become part of the alliance."

The anthropomorphic creature snickered, shaking her head with new found humor. "You want us to help you out in this kind of a fight? I don't think so."

Kesai frowned, his ears once again lowering in frustration. "Look, I'm not into this idea either, but Flynn wanted all of us to see if you and your bookreader wanted to join us. You can say no, either way I don't care, but at least consider it or give it more than a second's thought."

"Hn," Cheshire studying the kitsune with some growing interest. He didn't seem as annoying as Tsumi was, maybe even a little down to earth when it came down to it. "I don't think we have met before, who are you?"

"Kesai," The boy not showing a deep interest in her but instead muttering his name and giving Tsumi a look that told the poison demon that he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and do something more interesting.

The leopard smirked, somewhat enjoying his nonchalant attitude. "I see, well I'm Cheshire."

Tsumi then frowned, clenching his fists together as he began to wonder why everybody was suddenly off the actual topic here. "So, do you think you will at least consider joining the alliance? Just run it by Aislinn and give it some thought."

"I don't see why I couldn't think it over." The leopard saying this only as a means to get the poison child to shut up. "However, this won't do me any good if you want Aislinn and I to discuss it together."

"And why is that?" Tsumi's voice getting slightly nervous as he looked to her in curiosity.

"Because, it's almost impossible that Aislinn even remembers fighting you, let alone remembers your face or that we almost destroyed you. She won't have any memories of what happened that night at all, so you will feel like all new people she has never encountered in her life even though you were almost defeated at her hand. "

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.

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"I guess I forgot to tell you about Aislinn's faulty memory."

Kimiko nodded, folding her arms slightly as she gave Flynn a lop-sided look and narrowed her thin eyebrows. "Yeah, what was with that? She acted as if she had never seen me before, even though she almost-" The brunette realizing where she was going with this and quickly going quiet. "N-Nevermind, maybe I'm being too hard on her, I guess sometimes people can draw a blank."

"Well," Kenja leaning against the lockers in the now empty hallway as everybody had already left to go home in their little cliques. "All I know is if she doesn't have a consistent memory, how can we hope to keep her affections enough for her to remember us and want to work with this team? She may come around, but how can we hope that she will continue seeing us as friends? I don't know if Kesai would be alright with the idea that the team he is already reluctant to be a part of might just have a person who could turn on him in a moment."

Flynn began to realize that neither of them were very keen on the idea, trying to think of something else to say that might help persuade the both of them to at least consider allowing Aislinn and Cheshire to fight alongside the both of them. "Well, you know what happened to her, right?" After all, he was aware of what had occurred after dealing with this quick memory loss.

"No." Both Kenja and Kimiko looking to the sophomore in curiosity, figuring it wouldn't hurt to know what exactly was going on with Aislinn. Maybe a look into what happened would help them get a feel of what had happened to her and if it even managed to give her a really good excuse to why she might be bitter or rather forgetful.

"Well, her cousin and his boyfriend trusted me with this information because they figured I wouldn't hurt anybody with it and all I need from you both is two things, to not tell Aislinn ever, because the last thing she needs to hear is things from the past she cannot remember," The boy with blue hair waiting until the both of them gave him a conformation nod before going ahead with his story.

"Well, when she was a little girl Aislinn and her family moved around a lot and she was never really the social child the rest of her siblings were, she sort of preferred to spend time on her own instead of playing with other children or making friends. It didn't bother her and even though her parents were somewhat bothered by the fact, they accepted it as simply a part of their daughter's personality and nothing more.

"However, since they lived in America back then, Japan wasn't a place they commonly visited. So when they decided to visit Aislinn's cousin one month, they figured they would rent a small plane and take a trip over there instead of going with a bunch of people to make it a family event. Well, I guess the world can be a horrible thing when you think about it, because the plane never did touch down in Otaru like it was supposed to.

"The engine exploded; well at least that's what the people who investigated the remains of the plane think that's what happened. Well, no matter what happened to start off this horrible chain of events, it ended with the Pilot ejecting himself from the aircraft and leaving Aislinn and her family to their deaths. Honestly everybody considers Aislinn a miracle and one of the lord's favorite people because somehow the girl managed to survive in what seemed like an impossible crash and well obviously a seemingly impossible accident to survive in no matter who you are.

"She woke up from a medically induced coma about three days after the crash occurred and when they asked her what she knew, she only said one thing in return. She told them 'I know my name is Aislinn, I know I am fluent in Japanese and English…but the rest of it is all blank' which wasn't that big of a shock to the doctors who had expected at least this much. However, when she was asked if she remembered anybody at all, she was able to recognize her cousin Kirii and that baffled everybody but helped show that there was some hope for Aislinn.

"So, after some harsh tooth and nail fighting, Kirii won custody of Aislinn and began raising her just like his own child. She recovered soon enough and even started going to school again eventually, but even though her body healed she was never able to gain the brain strength she had before this. Her memory didn't exactly serve her well and she was prone to forgetting almost everything she had been told or faces of people she had met before which pushed her away from the other children in the school and left her on her own. Honestly, according to Kirii it takes a lot of persistence to make Aislinn remember you and since she's become somewhat withdrawn that persistence is not an easy thing to pull off."

Kenja turned to Kimiko who was biting into her lip, she wasn't sure she had wanted to know that much about what had happened to the girl, trying to hide her emotions but shaking her head even so. "I-I guess this leaves only one option for the both of us, something that we can't really evade but need to face right up forward if we want it to work."

"And what exactly is that?" Kenja lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Well, we need to be persistent. We have to make friends with her; we can't give up a chance like this to have another ally to fight with us."

At first the blond couldn't believe what she was saying, then smirking softly and shrugging. "Alright, well it won't hurt to give it some attention and to at least try."

Kimiko nodded as Flynn looked from one to the other just to make sure they were both being completely serious which they both were, smiling softly as he approved of their willingness. In fact, although he wouldn't exclaim it, he was grateful for this. "Good, I'm sure that you two will be able to break through her shell and manage to make friends with her."

Kimiko gave him a smile, nodding as Kenja couldn't help but softly chuckle to himself. This was such a ragtag little group of misfits and now they were going to add another into the mix. 'Figures.'

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"So, that really happened to Aislinn?" Tsumi frowning as he put more thought into this information.

"Pretty harsh." Kesai muttering as he brushed his jacket off. "No wonder she can't remember anything, I probably would have a shitty memory too if that kind of a thing happened. And I was lucky enough to survive that would probably be nothing but a little problem."

Cheshire looked over the both of them with a bit of disinterest, nodding slightly before looking back at the trees and the brush behind her. "Yes, well I better get going, I have more important things to do other than talk with weaklings like the both of you."

"Hold on, Cheshire."

The leopard turned around to see Kesai with a rather sincere look in his big green eyes that Tsumi could only figure was probably understanding or respect or something on that line. "Well, would you at least consider joining us as part of our team? Sure, it can suck to make friends some times, but after getting a ton of talks from my partner I guess it isn't all that bad. Anyways, from what I've heard from Tsu, you're a pretty tough demon with some pretty interesting spells that I'd like to check out. So, will you at least consider staying around, at least for now?"

Cheshire was a little bit surprised at this, instead of getting some stupid speech or babbling from the poison demon she got this, smirking to herself softly and figuring she liked this change. He was less whiney and seemed to have a dignified bum of an attitude and for a reason she couldn't decipher, this was refreshing. "Fine, I'll think about it. But don't expect anything from me, after all since Aislinn won't remember any of you I doubt she would want to fight alongside any of you guys."

'Not with Kimiko's persistent personality,' Tsumi thinking to himself as he watched the leopard disappear before their very eyes. Then turned back to Kesai only to see the kitsune give him a smile of success and pride. "I guess you should let me do a little more of the talking, after all I may have just have gotten us another ally to join the team."

The poison demon returned the smile, figuring that they might just be on better terms now that the fire demon was able to show him up on something. "Yeah, you did good. Thanks, Kesai."

Both giggled in success, well they had held up their part and the rest was left up to the humans in this operation. But knowing their partners, this wouldn't be all that difficult.

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"Hey, could I sit with you?"

Aislinn's teal eyes gazed up from her meal to meet the smiling figure of Kimiko, the girl frowning before coldly hissing. "Who the hell are you?"

'Don't give in, we are going to be nice and not throw in the towel no matter what happens here and now.' The brunette smiling back to the girl in hopes that this might just help her case, even if in the slightest bit which still would be better than nothing at all. "I'm Kimiko Isahowa, I am in your class and I was thinking that maybe we could be friends."

Aislinn simply gave her the cold shoulder, Kimiko holding in a sigh but never dropping the smile she was going to make sure she kept while trying to make friends with her.

_This might take a while, but there is no way that by the time Christmas comes around that Aislinn won't remember Tsumi and I and that she won't have an opinion on whether or not she wants to be on our team or not. As long as I keep this up and don't let anything push me away from this, we will eventually be able to build something up, whether it be good or bad._


	15. Shura and Michael

_Hey Guys,_

_So, this chapter introduces the final teenage member of the roster which means that there is only one more member to go! However, even though this last person isn't a teenager, you've already met him in the story a few times. We'll just have to wait and see, but feel free to guess away, I'll be sure to tell you if it's right or not._

_And when talking about the roster, it's come to my attention that the number of people and demons going to Xenolith's castle, a whopping 14! Oh my, is that going to be hard to do. I mean, I've handled 22 characters in a fanfiction I worked on about a year ago which sadly ended early due to circumstance, but when I work on things like novels, I am used to only having three to five main protagonists, so fourteen will be an interesting experience for me. But I will do my best._

_Anyways, enough babbling, I better start completing chapter 24, so for now enjoy this one._

_xKiha_

* * *

_Come closer, young blossom. Take my hand, I won't be tempted to hurt you if you trust me and allow me to take you as your own master. Hush and submit to me, allow me to pull you close and show you these feelings that I have for you. Allow me to take away the darkness that clouds in your heart and replace it with the security that I can offer. Allow me to seize your jewel, to take the thing only you can care for that I wish to have. Do this for me, my blossom, and all will be freed and protected._

This was all Kimiko could remember about last night, some kind of a voice coaxing her in a deep and calm tone that both made her want to cry and deeply interested her. This man, whoever he was, wanted her, calling her his blossom and saying that he would take away the darkness in her heart. He obviously knew something that she didn't, or at minimum something she didn't want to share. It made her somewhat uncomfortable but she couldn't help wondering just who was trying to win her over and why this voice was the only thing rather definable about the experience.

Not that she wanted to tell Kenja about this, at least not for now, fearing the reaction he would have when it came to this would be related back to the ever present Xenolith crisis. Of course she suspected this as well, but she had no interest in thinking about this right now, not when she felt she had many other important things to think about as well.

"Are you feeling alright?"

The brunette turned as she met the somewhat concerned azure eyes of Kenja who had finished packing up his things to go home. "You seem a little pale, so is something the matter? Are you not feeling well today?"

'Yeah, I guess you can see right through me no matter what.'' Kimiko sighing to herself as she forced herself to smile. "I'm feeling fine, just a little bit tired is all." Giggling rather shyly as she tried not to think about it anymore than she had to.

"Alright," The blond teenager hesitating for only a moment before giving her a soft look. "I am leaving to walk home, do you want to come with or will I be seeing your tomorrow?"

"I think I'll stay here for a little bit longer before I go home. You can go on ahead without me, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The sickly blond smiled nodding in acceptance. "Okay, I will be seeing you then." Turning away from the brunette and walking out of the room, leaving Kimiko alone with nothing but her thoughts and the memory of that cold voice seeking control of her.

'I guess I can't just leave this to myself, but for now I can only hope I was hearing things due to stress. After all, the last thing any of us need is to begin hearing this guy talk. For him to drive us all mad one by one before he finds exactly what he wants in us. Whatever that is.'

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November wasn't a kind month in Otaru and judging by the color of the sky they would probably be getting snow soon enough, something that never bothered Kimiko but never really brought her a lot of joy either. Snow was beautiful, for maybe the first few weeks, but after a while it would all go from white and thick blankets, to black and dirty clumps of ice. She may have enjoyed the sight of snow, but thought of those clumps returning always ruined the event.

Having a long sleeved dress shirt and somewhat longer skirt didn't exactly protect her from everything, so naturally she was left rather cold as she tried to rush home before the weather became unbearable.

It was once again just her, after recalling that voice, she had told Tsumi to take it easy and relax for the day instead of come to meet her after school as he always did. The child was hesitant, asking why with a look of confusion but accepting her answer when she told him she simply thought he was in need of a nice long break after everything that had been happening recently. He chose not to argue after that, but his bookreader could still see the look of misunderstanding and hesitation in the violet eyes of the poison demon.

However, not everything in this world always works the way you want it to, no matter how serious you get when it comes down to it. Sometimes bad luck finds you and attacks during a time where you cannot handle it and sadly this was just another one of those times.

"Keldion!"

The brunette gasped in horror as she heard a spell being called out, going into her satchel and reaching for her book only to remember she had that but she didn't have the child to make the spells work. This couldn't be happening! Not right now where she couldn't really do anything but stand here completely useless. "No!" The girl found herself shouting as she pulled her satchel containing her spellbook to her chest.

Coming towards her was a green beam of energy, the girl forcing her eyes closed and bracing for the impact that was coming. 'I-I won't let this be the end of Tsumi's journey, this little choice won't be what destroys him and our friendship!'

"Shakir!"

Kimiko gasped as she heard a voice break through the frightening silence, opening her eyes and seeing a large blast of black lightning suddenly shooting forward and into the beam, destroying it with strength and even shooting into the darkness of the area where the beam had come from. More than one demon child was here right now and this couldn't be any worse, Kimiko trying to keep herself from panicking as she held her satchel tighter to her body.

No, no! This was nothing but a bad dream at this point.

"Hey, get out of here! Now!"

Kimiko opened her eyes to see a pair of boys standing close by her, the demon and the bookreader who held in his hands a black spellbook. This really was happening, trying to stop herself trembling before finding herself unable to form words and only silently nodding in response.

The bookreader was somewhat tall, seeming to be a little older, probably only a year or so. He had a somewhat muscular build that suited him, not to mention that he was rather good looking. He had short and scruffy cocoa hair and dark brown eyes that seemed both fun and wise, a slight detection of what may have been loneliness in there as well. Wearing the male's school uniform for Seki, which meant he really did go to her school and he may just know who she was.

The demon child that stood beside him was rather interesting, being the height of a young middle school student. His skin had a tan tint to it and rather soft red eyes. His hair black with silver accents, long and scruffy in a sort of cute way that blew around in the wind. He wore a black mantle on his body along with black boots, his fists clenched. "Come on, go!"

Kimiko nodded, quickly backing away from where everything was going in fear of suffering the consequences of what could happen otherwise. Continuing to clutch her book bag close to her chest only to reassure her that the purple book was safe before looking back up as she looked to the two fighters.

"Keldion!"

"Shashield!"

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"Hey, are you alright?"

Kimiko slowly opened her eyes, blinking as the bookreader gave her a soft smile as he knelt beside her sitting form. "T-Thank you." The girl's voice a soft whisper as she loosened her grasp on her satchel, looking at the ground in a bit of embarrassment. "I don't know what I would have done without you coming to help me."

"It's no problem at all." The guy standing up and sighing to himself. "Just keep this to yourself alright? We don't need anybody walking around and talking about a high schooler running around with a kid that shoots lightning out of his fingers. Right?"

'Not unless I want to screw over Tsumi as well, but this is actually an interesting thought. How will people perceive the demon battle since they could witness it and be unable to understand the severity of what is going on? Do they always remember or does something bring them to forget the power of the demons? Otherwise, we really could have the government on our hands trying to figure out what was up with these supernatural children with books that give them power.' Kimiko couldn't help but think this as she gave him a soft smile of knowledge. "No, you don't need to worry about me knowing. I know what's going on here, I was only unable to fight back."

"Huh?" The teen with cocoa locks turning to her in shock. "Y-You just couldn't fight?"

Kimiko nodded, slowly opening her satchel to show him her own spellbook to the amazement of the guy. "I told my partner to take it easy today and I guess I just have some bad luck when it comes to demons and these fights. Although, I never expected to be saved by another team."

The demon child frowned, looking up to his bookreader who looked a little stunned by this sudden turn of events. "Uh, Michael?"

"Oh, sorry." The teenager blinking with a little embarrassment. "Just wow, I can't believe you also have a book. Small world, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kimiko stood up as she began to dust herself off, blushing as she realized just how pathetic she must have seemed to him. Something that would make all of her friends laugh if they ever heard what had happened. Maybe this would become a secret between him and her, but one thing burned inside her mind. She wanted him to join the alliance, nothing was going to stand in her way now that she decided this.

"Anyways, I'm Michael and this is my partner Shura, we specialise in dark lightning spells." The teenager with cocoa locks saying as he gave her a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Kimiko," The girl bowing respectfully. "My partner's name is Tsumi and we use poison spells."

Shura cocked his head, blinking in a bit of surprise. "Y You're Tsumi's partner?" Smiling in sudden joy when he noticed the brunette beginning to nod yes. "I didn't know he was still fighting! I'm so glad he made it this far in the battle!"

'I didn't know Tsumi had any friends in this fight, not that he mentioned anyways.' Kimiko looking to Shura in an interested state of mind. "You both were friends?"

"Well, sort of. You see since we both didn't really have parents or anything we ended up living wherever we felt we could. It wasn't always easy to do but wandering until finding the next perfect place was normal for us both. We met one another when I decided to settle down in the town where Gash lived and Tsumi stuck around there for a while. We became friends because for a while we were all we had for one another. However, Tsumi just got up and left one day after the King himself wanted to talk to him in private. Gash probably knew why he left, but to everybody else we all continued to wonder what motivated him to just suddenly drop everything and choose to leave. He looked so happy when he lived there."

"So, he was a drifter?" Kimiko giving Shura a smile as she found herself liking the child who nodded to her wordlessly. "Anyways, I'm sure Tsumi would be thrilled to see you again. Maybe we will have to meet up some other time, the four of us together so you two can catch up on what's happened since those days."

With that the brunette gave Michael a soft look, knowing just how this was going to go if she did this correctly. "Anyways, thank you so much for helping me out. I guess I owe you one."

"Yeah," The teenager with cocoa locks saying, lifting his hand slowly to say goodbye but finding himself somewhat hesitant.

However, Kimiko wasn't going to be this way, turning and beginning to head in the opposite direction with her back turned to the both of them. 'Five, four, three, two "

"Hold on a second!"

Perfect. The brunette turning around to hear the teen's voice and pretending to be surprised by the sudden outburst. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

Michael hesitated when he looked to his feet for only a moment, thinking hard about what he was about to say as he shifted his jaw in concentration. "Well, I was thinking, maybe since I helped you that we might just team up or something to, help each other. Like you and your demon and Shura and I becoming a little team or something. And since they're already friends, I'm sure we'd have no problems all getting along."

'You're taking the words right out of my mouth.' Kimiko having to hold back her giggles of victory and satisfaction. "Well, I do have a group of allies that I work with. We help one another out and right now we're working on figuring out what's going on with something I'll have to tell you about another time."

"A group?" Shura repeating before looking up to Michael who seemed to like this idea a lot as he spoke. "You think, that maybe we could join the group as well?"

"Of course!" Kimiko smiling to him. "We always have enough room and since you helped me out there is no way I could possibly say no to you." Trying to hide in her joy at the fact that this was working out in her favor. Since she was having enough hardships trying to earn Aislinn's friendship it was nice to have a guy that seemed more than happy to join the alliance after helping her out so blindly.

"Awesome." Michael smiling back to the girl as he looked down to Shura who seemed just at happy. "Looks like we'll be working with them then. How many others are there right now?"

"Two other teams, but one of them lives in Sendai so they can't come around very often."

"I see, well it doesn't matter how many. I'm just glad to have somebody to depend on and to consider a friend in something like this.'

'And so am I, Michael, so am I. You will make a good addition to our little team, I can only hope you will be able to handle exactly what we are going to bring you into the middle of.'

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"And that is how the both of us met and why we have another member in our team."

Kenja removed his gym shoes as he took in a deep breath, his cheeks full of vibrant colors as he coughed. This had been his first gym class he had been allowed to attend this school year, to his excitement and dread. Of course this managed to be a running day, which left poor Kenja stunned but still managing to do rather well at. "I see, well that is quite a story."

His azure eyes then looked up to Kimiko and Michael who it turns out was in the same class as Flynn, seeming rather approving. Of course Kenja wasn't exactly the person to pass judgement unless it was earned by the person. "Did you inform Kyo of this?"

"Uh huh." Kimiko nodding. "I called him this morning and both he and Amera sounded pretty happy about it when I told them, so I think everybody is on board with this."

The blond teenager stood back up after tying his normal school shoes, giving a friendly smile to Michael. "Well, I certainly have no problems with this happening. However, I am not sure just how Kesai will react. You know how he can get when he isn't completely satisfied with the verdict."

"He's a good kid, I'm sure he'll understand and get over it eventually. After all, he did make friends with Tsumi, after a while, didn't he?"

"Well yes, but you haven't seen the child when he really doesn't want to do something. Trust me, when that happens the saying pain in the ass becomes an understatement."

Michael gave Kimiko a slightly concerned look as the girl simply waved it off. "Don't worry, his partner's a good kid, he's just stubborn. I'm sure he and Shura will get along just fine." The teenager with cocoa locks nodding slowly as everything he had been told began to process in his mind.

However, just as he went to say something the bell rang, Kimiko smiling as she grabbed her bag. "I would love to stay and keep talking to the both of you, but I got to get going now." Her voice somewhat rushed and hurried as she spoke.

"Oh, where are you going?" Michael looking to her with a cock of the head as Kenja gave her a soft smile. "Not going to give up yet, are you?"

"Nope!" Kimiko turning to go down the hall before giving them both a smile. "Aislinn Akihira is going to be a member of the group if it's the last thing I get to do. I won't let this slip through my fingers!" The girl then rushing to go to her classroom and was out of their sights rather quickly.

With that, Michael turned to Kenja, sighing to himself softly. "Is Kimiko always like that? Happy and energetic but holding in some inner pain?"

"Yes, she had always been this way, at least for the amount of time I have known her, which sadly isn't that long. However, I think that's why people are brought to her, it's a nice personality to surround yourself with."

"Yeah, I think I like it. I think with her as our ring leader, this might be a good ground to stick around with."

"Agreed."


	16. I Know Where He Is

_Hey guys,_

_Well, just as you get into the swing of me being around, I have to say goodbye for a while. Turns out I am being taken on a cruise to return home on Monday. I am excited, but since I don't know if the boat will have Wi-Fi or not, which means I may be able to update or I may not, I just don't know. But, I promise to come back._

_Alright, so this could be your last chapter for a while, but we get to understand just a bit more thanks to something, or maybe somebody, giving Kenja something he seeked, but soon didn't want. I hope you enjoy and well, hope we can see one another again soon._

_xKiha_

* * *

_Alright, deep breath. Hold it in for a few moments, then let it out. Think of peaceful things, Kenja, think of peaceful things. Mhmm, release._

Kesai frowned as he walked onto the porch of Kenja's home, seeing the blond sitting there with a relaxed look on his face and sighing. He looked calm right then, completely enlightened and focused on this inner relaxation but he was an uncomfortable pale the more Kesai focused on him. "Kenja?"

"Nng," An eye opened, trying not to break from his concentration as he looked to the kitsune demon.

"You're trying to keep yourself healthy for now, right?

"No," His voice calm as he spoke a soft reply. "I am fine, Kesai. You have nothing to worry about; I only came out here for some relaxation."

The demon's ears went flat, scowling with anger as he shook his head. "How come you always lie to me when you start to get sick again? You never tell me the truth unless it's about what could happen after you get sick and once you consider it bad! You think I don't know how everything goes!"

Now both eyes were open, the teenager frowning to himself as he placed his hand on the child's shoulder. "Calm down." The red headed child blinking in a bit of surprise as he found himself slightly lulled, sitting down beside Kenja for a reason he didn't now. "You cannot snap like this, Kesai, it's not exactly something I need or desire at the moment. You need to calm yourself down otherwise we may have more troubles here that I'd rather not deal with at the moment."

"But, you're ly "

"Weather I am telling the truth or not does not matter at this point in time, you know exactly how my life is and why everything works as it does; completely out of my control and hand. The only problem is you do not know how to control your anger when it begins to boil up so you do not snap and yell at others."

The fire demon's green eyes had grown wide, the child turning away in frustration only because he didn't want to hear what his partner had to say. Shaking his head when Kenja reached out to touch him in silence before whispering in a frail voice. "I only want to protect you."

"I know," Kenja saying as he went to fix a stray lock of red only to continue being shoved off. "However, you cannot do this. Even if I did need a doctor at this moment, a doctor could not stop me from dying if this was the time of the end I will inevitably face one day."

"Don't say that!"

The sudden yelling shocked the blond, watching the kitsune stand up with slight tears beginning to fill his eyes. It was obvious the concept of death was still too much for him, the fire demon trembling for a moment before shaking his head. "Y You're not going to die, nobody is going to die!"

The child then went to violently rub his eyes, shaking his head before vanishing and leaving a stunned Kenja on his own, sitting on the porch as the wind began to play with his hair, eyes wide with shock.

"Kesai...Kesai!"

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"How did you?"

Kimiko blinked as she went out to check the mail only to find Kesai sitting on the pavement with his ears drooping and his eyes focused on the ground, the girl sighing to herself as she bent down. "Kesai?"

The fire demon jumped at once, hearing her voice and wincing as he tried to come up with something to say. "H-Hey, Kimiko."

"What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

For a moment the little boy didn't want to say anything, biting into his lip and shaking his head vigorously for a moment as the brunette frowned to herself and gave him an understanding and patient look. "Come on, you can talk to me about whatever is happening, I'll listen."

"Kenja and I yelled at each other." The child's ears drooping further. "He's starting to get sick again and he got mad at me for noticing that, he yelled and I got mad and yelled back. He even brought up dying, talking about how doctors couldn't save him if the time came soon."

Somebody as calm as Kenja had said something like that to his partner? Kimiko frowning to herself as she tried not to think too much about this and offering the child a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard, but I'm sure he was just a little bit tired when you talked to him. High school can be stressful and since Kenja's a deep thinker I guess he has been thinking about this for long enough to stress him out. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I hope so," Kesai's voice getting softer, stunning Kimiko with how helpless and afraid the child had really become when it came to this. "D-Do you think that maybe, Kenja could die?"

The girl didn't even want to think about this, frowning softly before shaking her head. "No, no Kenja is going to be fine." Placing her hand against his shoulder and offering him a smile of warmth. "Now come on, you should come inside for a while."

Well, at least for now he could stay around, after all today was Saturday and all the bookreaders were going to meet up at a local café to talk and even Kyo was coming up for this. They had figured they would leave the demon's at the park to play and since the plan was still in go this meant hopefully by the end of the day the both of them would be on common ground and be able to get along rather well.

"Kimiko?"

The girl paused as she look to the still quiet Kesai. "You won't lie to me, right? You will tell me the truth, even if everything is going wrong and we don't know if we're going to live or not, you'll tell me, right?"

"Yes, I'll be honest."

"Thank you."

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"I see, well it's really nice to meet you!"

Kyo smiled as he and Michael shook hands after meeting one another, Kimiko giggling with joy at the fact that this all seemed to be going well when it came to the three of them. Her eyes falling onto the clock only to find that Kenja was late, rather unlike him indeed.

"Hey, Kimiko." The girl turning to see Kyo with a slightly more serious look in his eyes as he spoke. "Michael knows all about what's happening, right? Has he seen any of those partners under the trance, right?"

"Yeah, he has." Kimiko smiling. "He actually managed to save me from another demon pair when I was out with only my book and not my partner."

Right as Kyo went to say something, his eyes showing his amazement he was feeling on the inside however it was another voice that came instead. "I-I am so sorry for being late!"

Everybody turned at the sound of Kenja's voice, seeing the blond and going silent at once. He had an exhausted look in his eyes as he took in a deep breath and sighed to himself. "I ran into a few bumps and after experiencing what I have to tell you all, I got into an argument with Kesai and he took off before I could apologize for scolding him like I did. I spent too much time looking for him and after a while I simply figured he would come back on his own time."

"He actually came over to my place. Saying you had yelled at him and he became sort of a different person, sulking and keeping himself rather quiet." Kimiko saying quietly, knowing it needed to be said. "I had Tsumi take him to the park where they could spend time with Shura and Amera. So they could all get to know one another and talk over different things."

"Oh, I see. Well at least I know where he is," Kenja sighing as he took a seat beside Micheal. "I didn't mean to yell at him, it was more of an accident than anything. I was a little stressed is all. Something came to me last night and I still don't know how it happened or why I was able to recollect it enough to create an exact replication."

Kyo frowned. "What exactly did you do?"

"Take a look for yourself." Kenja's azure eyes lowering in shame as he reached into his bag, pulling out a large piece of paper he had curled up to make it fit.

What he unfurled was a large map of Hokkaido, detailed but with interesting little drawings on it that seemed to surprise them all. Circled was where they all lived Otaru and their eyes all followed a thin line leading up to a rather interesting looking castle for a non-detailed map. Above the map was only one thing, but enough to make them all cringe. 'Xenolith'

"How did you do something like this?" Michael frowning as he inspected it further. "I thought we knew nothing about this guy."

"Yeah!" Kyo pursing his lips with confusion. "How would you know where puppet master's hideout is when the rest of us knew nothing else about it."

Kenja turned to both of the guys, frowning deeply as he shook his head. "I-I don't know! I swear to you, it became ingrained into my mind thanks to a voice, a voice that was more than happy to share everything they knew about the bastard with me."

Kimiko frowned, thinking about it hard as she found herself focused on something that sounded too familiar. "Was the voice deep, coaxing and promising to care for you? Did it call you blossom?"

"H-How did you know about the voice?"

For a moment everything went silent, Michael and Kyo exchanging looks that basically stated their concern in their friends losing their sanity right before their eyes. In a crisis, don't stick with the crazy people, so had they made the right choice in deciding to fight with them?

"It spoke to me in a dream, talking to me in a soft tone that promised to help me." Kimiko whispering as she stared at the map. "It just soothed me and got into my mind without even struggling. It's like it knew just what to say and do to get me to somehow listen."

Kenja nodded, his hand reaching out into the map. "It promised to give me all the knowledge I was seeking in rewards for my hardships. That in exchanged all it wanted from me was the poison gem he so desperately wanted, but I have no idea what that meant. I guess I must have agreed though, because he handed over the whereabouts of the puppet master without hesitation or a single thought about it. He burned it into my mind, which means no matter how much I would like to forget it, all I see in the back of my mind is that image."

Kyo frowned, looking from one to the other before furrowing his brow. "Alright, so this means that somehow through some voice in the both of your head's, we now know where Xenolith is hiding and where we can go to find him?"

"In the simplified form, yes, that is exactly what has happened."

"So," Michael saying as he took a sip from his glass. "How soon are we going to go after him? Like when are we going to storm his base and take the bastard down?"

That was a good question, all of them pausing for a moment to think about this. Kimiko biting at her lip as she tried to find something that made enough since to help everybody out. "Well, we're going to have to wait until we feel completely capable to fight in that place and know we will be able to get out of there. Also, we're not allowed to go until Aislinn is a full time member of our team."

"Kimiko," Kenja saying with a sigh. "That could take a long time before she warms up to all of us."

"None of you believe me, but I'm really making progress with our friendship." Kimiko stating as she folded her arms. "We're getting better though, she was so close to remembering me, I swear to you guys."

The guys all snickered to themselves; it was almost funny to see Kimiko so consumed with the desperation to make friends with this one girl. Sure, they had never seen Cheshire and Aislinn in battle before, but could they really be great enough to get the brunette to basically devote her free time to try with all of her might to build up such a simple friendship? Well, it didn't matter for now, all of them only nodding to the girl who seemed to be growing more determined.

"All that really matters right now is that we know where we have to go to do what we need to. We know where the puppet master is hiding and now all we need to do is become powerful enough to be able to take him down."

.

.

.

"Hey, catch!"

Kesai turned around to see Tsumi throwing the Frisbee towards him, smirking as he brushed a long lock of red out of his way. Such a simple thing was an easy way for them all to bond and now it was giving the kitsune an option to show off. The child boosting his speed and catching the disk in mid-air before tossing it to his right. "Shura, catch it!"

"I got it!" The tallest of the male demon's shouted, bracing himself as he suddenly jumped up and caught the disk, laughing as he took in a deep breath before tossing it again. "Amera!"

The only female of the otherwise male dominated group turned around, watching it come and not moving a single muscle but instead confusing the others as they watched her stand completely still and only stare at the thing like it would just suddenly disappear. However, just as the other three cringed and waited to watch the Frisbee make impact, the woman caught it with ease. "Tsumi!" Then throwing it once more.

The poison demon laughed, running forward as the disk began to catch up with him. He closed his eyes, waiting a few moments before nodding to himself and jumping up with certainty. "Here we go!" The child grabbing the thing and landing on his feet in self-satisfaction. "Got it!"

"Yeah, we noticed." Kesai muttering as he smirked. "Just throw it back, come on."

Tsumi nodded in joy, getting ready to throw the disk when he heard rustling in the tree behind him. At once the child stopped, turning around. "No use in hiding, Cheshire, I know you're there so quit it."

Everybody went silent for a few moments before the snow leopard showed herself to the group, her glowing grey eyes inspecting all of them. "Hmm, it seems there are more than just the both of you."

Tsumi nodded. "Yeah, we added two more people to our group. The woman's Amera."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The graceful woman bowing in respect.

"And the guy with the black hair over there is Shura."

"Hey there," Shura giving Cheshire a look of neutrality but slight respect even so.

The anthropomorphic cat didn't seem very displeased, smirking to herself. "Well, you both don't seem to be pains like the little brat over there." Glaring to Tsumi who only fumed slightly at this remark. "I don't think I'll have any problems with either of you."

"That's good to hear." Amera replied, giving the cat a smile of accepted friendship. "I think we will all be able to get along rather well."

"Don't push it," Cheshire muttered, not liking this quick acceptance of her.

"Cheshire, this is where you went."

The cat turned to see Aislinn, Tsumi going silent as he backed up to get himself closer to the rest of the demons. Cheshire leaping out of the trees and returning to her partner's side. "Yes, I was simply checking out the new people they have joining their team to see if they are really worthy of considering as allies."

The girl with scars nodded with intent, seeming to understand and retain all of this information. "So, which one of them belong to the girl in class who is determined to get me to be her friend?"

"The little kid with the purple hair, Tsumi."

"Figures," Aislinn muttered as she looked over the poison demon. "A simple demon for a very simple person."

However, just as the child went to say something about his bookreader in an attempt to defend her, he found himself silenced as he heard footsteps coming from behind him.

"Aislinn?"

Sure enough, that was Kimiko and the rest of the group. Tsumi blinking as he took his place beside the brunette who continued to speak. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question." The girl with scars hissed back. "You're everywhere I am all of a sudden! Why don't you leave me alone instead of ask questions like that."

'She remembers me.' Kimiko turning to Kenja and giving him a look that read 'I told you so,' before turning back to Aislinn. "Look, all I want you to do is join us. It won't hurt you to fight alongside us, will it?"

"Tch," Aislinn muttered as she turned her back to the group. "I will consider it, okay? No promises but I will think about maybe joining you guys."

That was all the girl felt she would say, her and her partner walking off after that and leaving the stunned Kimiko to shower in her own mini-victory, clenching her palms together and giggling in joy. "There, I told you I could do it!"

"Alright, you win." Kenja muttering before sighing, knowing he had to do something much more important than allow Kimiko to gloat like this. "Kesai."

The kitsune's ears went flat against his head, the child hesitating for only a moment before turning around to see his partner but trying to man up and appear strong while around the others. "Y-Yeah?"

The defeat in Kenja's eyes was what brought fear to Kesai who didn't want to bring his real emotions into this, shaking his head. "I am sorry about snapping at you before; I should not have done that. I was dealing with something that I didn't feel I deserved and I took it out on you for a reason I cannot find."

"N-No, it's fine."

"No, it's not," Kenja walking closer to the child and drying the slight tears that appeared in Kesai's eyes. "I shouldn't have done that, it hurt you and it was not my place. I can promise to you that I won't be dying, not with you to take care of. I need to stay around, to protect and fight with you."

With that the kitsune lost it, turning around and pulling his bookreader close as he whimpered, Kenja's hand rubbing the child's back soothingly. "It's alright, no need to cry."

"P-Promise to tell me the truth from now on? Even if it stings at first..."

"Yes, Kesai, I promise you."


	17. Setsuna Yuuki

_Hey Guys,_

_So I am now back from my cruise, which was amazing! I wish I could have updated more or earlier but I have good reasons. My ship did have internet, but it was pricey at about 80 cents a minute which would make going online a real blow to my back account. And well, I couldn't update earlier today because my ship was delayed. You see, a crew member experienced a medical emergency the night we began heading back from Mexico to America and we turned around to get him or her medical care. However, before we could get to port in Cozumel, the person passed away early early in the morning. And so, we headed back to America with the loss of a member of the staff delaying us. Of course, this was no problem when everybody really thought about it, because we only turned around in an attempt to save a human life. _

_Anyways, enough about that. While gone, I did get work done and have two profiles, one for characters you've met before and will see many times and one for characters that will star in a mini-arc after the Xenolith arc. Speaking of Xenolith, I finished chapter 25, which ends with them getting to the castle, so get ready because soon enough, it will all be getting serious in this story. But I know you are all ready for that to happen. _

_So, I should stop babbling now, because it's time for you guys to read the next chapter of DBR. Enjoy,_

_xKiha_

* * *

"You really know where he is now?"

The three bookreaders nodded, serious looks plastered on their faces as they told Flynn about what was now going on in their group. They couldn't exactly keep the puppet master's location a secret from the sophomore, because even if they tried to he would eventually find them out and that wouldn't make their situation any better than it already was.

Flynn frowned, not wanting to say the wrong thing and sound like he knew nothing about what was going on. "How did you guys figure that out?"

"Some kind of a voice crept on me and began to speak, promising to give me the knowledge I wanted if I brought them the purple gem they wanted rather badly. And so, without my consent they buried the image of the placement of Xenolith's castle inside my mind, something I constantly see even when I don't wish to." Kenja sighing to himself as he continued to speak even so. "The only troubling thing is even though I now know where he is hiding, I still want to know more about this man before going into this blindly. I do not know if I would be comfortable with rushing into battle to fight a man I know nothing about."

The wind on the roof began to blow Kenja's hair around, the blond sighing as he tried to keep it in place. The group had decided to use the roof of the high school as a place where they could speak to one another and since nobody seemed to be troubled by this right now, why couldn't they? It was a safe place that they could use to speak about the demon battle without having to fear other peers hearing about something that would best be kept a secret.

"Well," Flynn adjusting as he swallowed, not sure he exactly wanted to say anything at all but finally deciding this would be for the best that he at least gave this a shot. "I know somebody who might just be able to help you with that problem. Somebody who might have some information on what you want to know."

"Really?" Kimiko saying as Michael sat up in interest, both looking to the young doctor in interest in just what he was about to say. "Who is he?"

"A close friend of mine." Flynn replied, still trying to be cautious with his words. "However, he's sort of hard to talk with because he's not exactly a social kind of guy."

"Hey, I did it with Aislinn, I can do it again." Kimiko said as she offered Flynn a smile. "So, who is he?"

Although he didn't want to say it, Flynn knew sending in the brunette would be a mistake he wasn't going to make for the rest of the group. "Kimiko, I don't think you should be the one to do this. Setsuna probably wouldn't respond to you very well."

The girl frowned, trying not to show the upset she felt as she shrugged, Flynn looking over the group and smiling as he began to focus his heterochromic eyes on the blond of the group. "I think Kenja should be the one to talk with him. You are a pretty calm guy so you won't lose your head if this takes a turn for the worse, which means you just might be able to handle this. And you're a rather approachable guy, which could work in your favor."

Kenja's azure eyes first looked to Kimiko and Michael for some form of consolation or approval, seeing them give him half hearted looks before turning back to Flynn. "Alright, but if I must do it, can you be certain that this person has the information we need?"

"Yeah, I'm positive he knows exactly what you want to know. The only thing is it isn't easy getting it out of him, so you are going to have to keep yourself calm and be able to handle whatever exactly is thrown at you, got that?"

"Yes." Kenja nodding slowly, hearing the severity in the voice of Flynn and understanding that this wouldn't be a simple game of the minds but a real conversation he couldn't mess up on. "Don't worry, I will have no troubles."

.

.

.

"There he is, just try to make this quick, alright?"

Kenja and Flynn stood in the hallways as school ended, the blond looking in the direction Flynn was talking about only to see a rather interesting looking guy standing in the hallway as he retrieved some of his stuff from his locker, most likely gym clothing but he seemed to pause for a moment. Flynn not waiting for Kenja to say anything before shoving the freshmen forward, seeing the helpless look that Kenja gave him but choosing to ignore that as he was pushed over there.

"Uhm," Kenja finding himself frozen for a moment before he swallowed and took in a deep breath, calming himself and feeling more than ready to do this thing. "Excuse me?"

The stranger closed his locker and at once looked to the blond who suddenly felt intimidated, taking in another deep breath and remaining his usual zeal and calamity.

This sophomore did peak his interest though, standing a little taller than Kenja and having a rather muscular frame. He had long black hair that reached his neck, two long black bangs that framed his face and seemed to tease his deep red almost magenta eyes. The eyes themselves held within them anger and wrath that wasn't very comforting to Kenja, but looking into them further he almost could feel depression. His skin was rather pale and it was made more apparent by the vibrant colors of his school uniform, fascinating the blond who continued to give this person a soft look he hoped could make this work.

"What do you want?" The somewhat deep voice of the elder male coming out rather coldly towards Kenja who knew he might as well give this guy the benefit of the doubt.

"My name is Kenja Sedai," The blond replying smoothly. "I am friends with Flynn Fukisa and he told me if I wanted information for a certain subject that I was to talk to you for the answers I was looking for."

The teenager sat down on a bench under his locker, wringing his hands together. "I'm Setsuna, Setsuna Yuuki." Pausing as he realized that Kenja had mentioned Flynn and frowning, looking to him with a cocked eyebrow. "How exactly do you know Fukisa?"

"Well, I believe circumstance would be the proper way to explain that one." Kenja replied, not sure how to approach what he was going to say. It was more than likely that Setsuna was a bookreader but he hadn't ever gone out on a limb and approached somebody with his book out like Kimiko had many times before.

"Alright, just get to the point; I have stuff I want to get done." Setsuna muttered as he leaned against the lockers, obviously anything but interested in the blond.

'Don't be paranoid; you are doing this for the greater good.' Kenja reaching into his bag and pulling out his orange spellbook, showing it to Setsuna with a serious look imbedded within azure eyes. "I believe you know what this is."

Something changed in Setsuna right away, the tension in the area beginning to grow a sour that Kenja didn't want to be near as he shifted his weight. The sophomore glared at the blond for a moment before sighing deeply, running his right palm through his bangs and muttering to himself. "Perfect."

"I believe this means you know exactly what I am talking about." The younger boy said, sitting down on the bench opposite Setsuna as he placed Kesai's book on his lap, mind surging with every reaction he might end up seeing now.

"Yeah, I know what that is." The sophomore replied, not making any eye contact with Kenja at all, which didn't make the situation any better for either of them. "What the hell do you think you're going to get out of me though?"

For a moment Kenja didn't know if he would be able to say this, drawing in another deep breath as he looked to the closed off raven haired teenager. "Flynn told me that you had some information on the puppet master, or rather that you could tell me more about Xenolith."

Once again, something seemed to change in Setsuna in almost an instant, lifting his head to show dilated red eyes as his lips curled with the next thing he spoke, or rather hissed. "What do you want to know about that _murderer_!"

Kenja managed to keep himself composed, drawing in a deep breath but finding himself clutching the spine of his spellbook rather tightly to the point where his fingertips had turned a rather deep shade of red. "It isn't exactly a what, it is more of a—"

"What do you want to know?"

'Keep yourself level headed, no reason in getting angry at him even though he is not exactly very thrilled to be speaking to me. It does not give me a reason to treat him the same way.' Kenja offering the unhappy Setsuna a level-headed look and a halfhearted smile. "I will take any information you can give me, anything will be better than the lack of information I have right now."

After hearing Setsuna muttering something under his breath, the red eyes of the elder looked back up to Kenja who shifted in his spot once more. "Be more specific, I'm not going to ramble on and on about everything."

"Alright, what does he look like?"

Setsuna ran his hands through his bangs once more, trying to run through all these scattered memories about what he didn't want to think about. "He has these soulless grey eyes that stare into you and a psychotic smile to match. Long red hair with black accents that curls around him in these strange spirals. He's almost as tall as you and he wears this ratted black cloak that has faded, but it has…it has the bloodstains of his victims left on it as a symbol of what happens when you go against him."

"What is the name of his bookreader? What does he or she look like?"

"His partner's name is Yuu. He has a completely shaved head, so he only has black stubble on his head and his green eyes are creepy, almost completely empty but yet cold. He's a pretty tall guy, towering over most people at over six foot. He wears this old white suit that is basically a worn out grey because who knows when he last changed his clothing."

Kenja felt intimidated just by this information, not wanting to ask the final thing he wanted to know but knowing that he had no choice if he wanted to be able to be completely aware of what was going to happen to them and what to expect when they went to Xenolith's castle. "Alright, this one may be difficult. What type of spells do they have and what kind of a person is Xenolith?"

This was the one thing that Setsuna didn't seem very angry about, clenching his fists for a moment before looking away from Kenja to show he didn't want to answer this one but for some reason felt that he had to anyway, shaking his head but still finding his words anyway.

"Xenolith, his spells are pretty strong for the uselessness you would think they would have. I think I heard you call him puppet master before and you would be right to call him that, he gets into your mind and can force you to do whatever he wants you to. The only problem is he loves every moment of it; he treats you just like a toy when you are under his control and he wants to fuck you up. Xenolith wants nothing more than to turn you into his own play toy and then ruin you. He will play with your memories and try to turn partners against one another, all while laughing and smirking to himself as if he gets off on making demons suffer while scaring their partners.

"His spells are pretty much open and shut, he uses energy spells but his favorite spells to use involve getting into your mind and making you his puppet. Not to say his energy spells aren't strong, no they are but he prefers not to use them unless he wants to intentionally physically harm you. He prefers to create emotional scars because it brings him some kind of satisfaction."

"I see." Kenja saying as all of this information began to play around in his mind, almost being able to hear the voice laughing in his mind already. "This will not be an easy fight when it comes down to it, I don't believe resilience alone will stand a chance."

"No, something like that won't hold up to a guy like him."

The blond nodded, taking this all into consideration with the knowledge that Setsuna knew much more about this than he could hope to. "I see, well may I ask one more question of you?" The raven haired teenager seeming to have no problems with this as Kenja seemed to slightly smile to himself in satisfaction. "All I want to know is how exactly you know all of this. How do you know so much about Xenolith?"

Right away it became very aware that he had crossed the line, Setsuna glaring at Kenja before grabbing his bag and standing up. Before he could say anything the sophomore had begun walking away, pausing for only a moment as he spoke from over his shoulder. "Tell Fukisa I want to talk to him and that he knows where to find me."

Before anything could leave the mouth of Kenja, Setsuna kept walking and was soon out of the building, leaving the rather stunned blond behind as he leaned against the lockers and let out a heavy sigh. Had that gone well? Sure, he had gotten his information and nothing could have felt better than the relief of understanding, but he couldn't help but wonder if he had done something very wrong when he asked that one question. Oh, stupid, stupid!

Then again, maybe he was feeling like he had failed because Setsuna was kind of cute in a strangely appealing way. Not that mopey guys did it for him, but something about this sophomore felt a little different in a way that confused the blond even more as he thought about it, shaking his head and trying to clear the thought from his mind.

"Hey, Kenja!" The blond turning to see Flynn and smiling softly as the teenager went to his side and gave him a warm look. "How did it go with Setsuna? Did you get the information you wanted from him?"

"Yes," Kenja replied softly, standing up as he placed his spellbook in his bag. "He was anything but happy to see me around him, but he did sit down and answer the things I wanted to know even though I could tell he would rather be anywhere but where he was right then."

"Well, that's good. I guess he liked you at least a little bit then, Setsu doesn't always give people the time of day when they annoy him, which is why I figured you would be the most suited to go and talk to him." The sophomore seeing this shiver go down the spine of the freshmen and wondering what that was about before looking around. "Anyways, where did he take off to?"

"That is more complicated." Kenja saying as he gathered all of his belongings, frowning to Flynn. "You see, I asked him why he knew everything he did about Xenolith and he just got right up. I must have struck a nerve or something but I had no intention of doing anything of the sort. However, before he exited the building he told me to tell you that he wanted to talk to you and that you would know where to find him."

"I see, well that's just Setsuna," The doctor sighing, unintentionally telling Kenja that he had in fact said something very wrong. "Don't worry about it for now, he will tell you everything if he wants you to know about it. But for now, you did fine and I'm proud of you for doing that so well, then again you're a pretty smart guy so I shouldn't be that surprised."

The blond blushed slightly at the compliment, nodding before going to leave the building. "Well, I can only hope I didn't hurt him in any form. If I did, could you tell him I regret saying what I did that hurt him."

"Yeah, I'm going to go talk to him now." Flynn offering him a smile as Kenja left the building in a soft sigh, the doctor trying to smile as he knew what he was about to deal with when he approached his friend.

.

.

.

"You're late, Fukisa."

Flynn sighed as he found Setsuna sitting on a bench in the park, nodding as he sat down beside his friend. "Sorry, I had to talk to somebody before I came over here."

"It was that freshmen kid, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was Kenja," Flynn leaning up against the bench with a nod. "He was a bit worried about you after you just walked right out of the room after he asked you what seemed like a harmless question."

"I didn't want to answer it, is that such a bad thing?"

"To him it was." The doctor replying, seeming to be quite used to the snarky tone of Setsuna. "You got him all worried he did something wrong or that he hurt you in some kind of way. You could have been a little easier on him, Set, it wouldn't have killed you."

"Hey, I gave him all the information he wanted," The raven haired boy said to justify his actions. "I just didn't want to bring _him _up. The freshmen didn't need to know that and I didn't want to tell him about it, you can't blame me."

"I guess not," Flynn saying as he sighed, looking away from his friend for a moment. "But this isn't exactly what he would have wanted, is it? I know it hurts to talk about it, but that doesn't mean you need to be angry with Kenja. Honestly you should probably try and talk with him; I think you would get along with him rather well."

"And why is that? Why would we be friends?"

"Just like you he is a very smart person for his age, not exactly social but instead managed to find himself friends with people because of the situation he ended up in. Not to mention he is also suffering all the time, but instead of struggling over a death he is struggling over the thought that he could die any day because of the disease he has spent his life with. You both suffer but handle it in different ways; it might not hurt to try his way of coping someday."

Setsuna rolled his eyes, scoffing as he leaned against the frame of the bench. "You have gone soft, those freshmen are obviously screwing with your mind Fukisa."

"All I am saying is it might not hurt, especially because Kenja wants to take out Xenolith along with some of his friends. They want to do exactly what you want, so would it really hurt to be there to see the revenge you want carried through?"

Setsuna didn't want to think about it too much, shaking his head with a sigh escaping his lips. "I don't know if I want to become connected to them, but if they are going to take that murderer out I will have to think about it. At least for Nora, to get the justice he deserves."

"There we go, that's more like it." Flynn said, offering his friend a warm smirk. "I doubt you will regret this choice, they aren't bad people and I have faith that they might be able to do this."

"Tch," Setsuna chucking to himself in amusement. "Whatever, Flynn, I'm not going to make friends with them, I'm just going to help out so I get to see that bastard go down. Nothing more."

Flynn nodded, sighing to himself but feeling accomplished anyways. He hadn't expected to get this far when it came to Setsuna, so this was more than a little bit of an improvement. Now he just had to make sure that the team was ready to take down Xenolith, to have the strength to go in and take him out without so much as breaking a sweat.

'_What a foolish child you are, nobody can face me and win against my power. I will murder once again, but thank you for bringing me closer to the treasure I am seeking. The closer you get the closer I get to having exactly what I want and for that I must thank you. Your mind, Flynn, is nothing but my play toy now and I cannot wait to play with you more as I study what you think will be threatening to me. It's almost funny when I think about it, how frightening you think you all shall be when compared to me. I wish I could show you how amusing you all are, the more I see it the more I find myself laughing.'_


	18. A Battle in the Snow! Sei and Hiku

_Hey guys,_

_Wow, it's been insane with this chapter a day schedule I think everybody is getting very used to. Which for those of you who don't know why I am doing it this way, I can explain quickly why I am doing it this way. It goes on like this, because I do have readers that have been loyal since before I even began writing this story. So, they deserve to have new chapters from time to time, which is why I update as much as I can for them and for everybody who enjoys reading it. And as always, I encourage you all to ask whatever you need or want to know if you ever do. I don't mind taking time to answer whatever a fan would like to know, because you all are rather important in the end. So, never be shy, trust me when I say I'm shy and it's deprived me of a few things. So, never be shy if there is anything you want to know, it's cool. _

_Alright, so I should stop babbling, it's time for you guys to read a new chapter._

_xKiha_

* * *

December was just around the corner, so of course it was finally time for the snow to fall in Otaru. Not that it was always welcomed, but while to some it was nothing but an annoyance or a pain to others it was that little beauty everybody was waiting for around this time of the winter season. It was a sign that the holidays were just around the corner, which seemed to always calm most of the people down or get them very excited for what was to come.

"It's really snowing, huh?" Kimiko pulling on some light boots as she looked over to the deeply invested Tsumi, smiling to him with warmth. "Well, I guess since I've got some errands to run today you might as well come with me."

"R Really?" The demon's violet eyes widening as he gave her a smile. "Yeah! Let's go then!" The child acting as if he had never really seen snow before and was more than extremely eager to get outside and just feel the cold weather against his skin.

Kimiko pulled on her comfortable black jacket, thin but warming at the same time, not to mention carrying a style she quite liked. She hadn't always loved the snow, but something about this day brought her to wanting to come outside and feel the cold that she hadn't been anticipating. The girl grabbing her satchel and placing the list of things she needed to get done for her mother before her eyes fell onto the purple book that sat comfortably on her dresser.

'_Go ahead, pick it up. Take it with you, you know you want it.'_

The girl whirled around, taking in deep breaths as she tried to reason what exactly was happening with herself but for some reason just couldn't. This voice was something that continued to tease with her ears and apparently it was playing with Kenja too. Oh well, no time to worry about something like this right now, the girl looking around once more before picking up her book and placing it in her bag. It couldn't hurt that much, could it?

.

.

.

"So, where exactly do we need to go?"

Kimiko took the paper out of her satchel, looking through the list of places she would need to go as she watched her breath take on a ghastly white in the cold weather. "I guess we should go to the farthest part of town first so we can get that stuff done first. That way we can make our way back down slowly and we won't have to go in all different directions."

"Alright." Tsumi nodding with a little eagerness buried in her voice. "That sounds like a plan."

The brunette at least hoped so, continuing to walk forward with the child in tow as the snow itself

began to play around in the wind, garnishing her black coat with pale white flakes of the tiny crystals of ice. Her cheeks had taken on this warm and soft pink, the girl continuing to walk as she looked down to the child. For some reason all she could think about was what that voice had said to both her and Kenja, both times he had spoken about some sort of jewel that had been specified by Kenja as purple. Could this possibly relate to them, after all it seemed that their spellbook was purple and it seemed to be a color on the child and of his irises.

Could he know anything about a purple jewel? Had he been referred to this by somebody he wasn't that fond of? Could he possess some kind of gem that this voice was wanting? This word would have to mean something, right? "Tsu?"

The child suddenly looked up to her, cocking his head and going to speak when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Hold on." The look in his eyes informing the teenager of what she didn't exactly want to think about as it came to mind. "Do you see that over there?"

The brunette turned to see a man with platinum blond hair wearing a black trench coat standing beside a child with blue hair and aqua eyes that seemed to have minus marks tattooed onto his cheeks. They were standing at a newsstand, but the moment Kimiko glanced over in their direction the man made eye contact.

"It's a demon," Kimiko whispered, shaking her head as she swallowed. "What do you think they're going to want?"

Tsumi tried to brace himself for whatever was going to happen right then. "I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure we are going to be fighting them really soon." Seeing the look in the eyes of his bookreader fill with distaste as she braced herself for whatever was about to happen.

The blond man set down his newspaper, signalling to the demon child who nodded right away and began to follow as the man began walking over to the poison duo who found themselves unable to turn away suddenly. The man standing before Kimiko suddenly as his warm breath burned at her cheeks. "Come on, we have some business to attend to."

"W What do you mean?" The brunette said, trying to seem as unaware as possible as she nervously giggled. 'I I don't want to fight anybody right now and judging by the way he's looking at me, he's a henchman...'

"You know exactly what I mean by this," The man said, gesturing to Tsumi with a growl in his tone. "Either you come with me or I will burn your book without giving you a chance to even fight back."

She almost felt that she could believe this man, Kimiko looking to her partner who only gave her a nod of understanding with a determined look within his purple eyes. They didn't really have much of a choice in the matter so refusing probably wouldn't exactly be something they should attempt to do.

"We'll fight." The girl said in a meek tone, trying not to think about everything that had begun to bother her. "We will fight you."

The man only seemed to laugh in his own satisfaction, his demon flashing a smile that actually seemed rather innocent when the girl looked into it. "Good, now come, follow us."

.

.

.

The farther they got away from the town, the more nervous Kimiko had become, the faster her heart began to pound in anticipation. The snow underneath her had begun to grow thicker, making a rather uncomfortable crunching sound as it was pressed against the ground by her boots. She continued to glance over at the blond man. He wasn't under the trance everybody had been up until now, but instead he was completely aware of everything around him.

Could he really have willingly chosen to work under Xenolith?

Well, maybe it didn't matter, but it still would be interesting to know what would convince this guy to willingly work under the puppet master. Maybe she would try to get answers out of him later, but for now she couldn't find a reason to say anything of the sorts.

"We're here."

The man suddenly stopped in his tracks, not turning around but just stopping before a rather large tree. His demon taking in a deep breath before sticking his fingers in his mouth and loudly whistling, Tsumi covering his ears in the sheer power of the child's volume.

"We heard you, we heard you!"

Hearing another voice was honestly what horrified Kimiko the most, looking around in panic before seeing a pair of people sitting in a tree. A woman with short ringlets of black hair with a child sitting beside her with red hair and ruby red eyes with what seemed to be plus signs tattooed to her cheeks.

"They're a pair." Tsumi muttered, his partner turning to him as she blinked and went to ask him what exactly he meant by that only for the child to continue. "It means that these two can be strong on their own, but when together they have amplified power. I I think they're twins, but this isn't good…"

"Why not?" The brunette's heartbeat beginning to pick up as she watched the woman and her partner leave the tree. "Why isn't this good?"

"I'm pretty sure they're twins and when twins are fighting side by side the power isn't something you are going to want to think about. We can't take them on our own and hope to win since they're fighting together."

Kimiko sighed, reaching into her satchel and taking out her spellbook. "We're going to have to try; there is nothing else we can really do at this point."

The two demon children seemed rather happy, linking hands as they looked over to Tsumi, the young boy choosing to speak. "We have been waiting to fight you, my sister and I. Lord Xenolith had told us to wait up until now and we were starting to get really bored just as he decided it was time to send us to do what he doesn't want to. And this is why he will soon be praising the amazing Hiku and his sister Sei!"

The bookreaders didn't seem to be very invested in all of this, but it was pretty obvious that they were completely aware of just what was happening while in this state. They were in control, just like how Kimiko and Tsumi were, which could be a good or bad thing for the poison duo.

"Alright, Lavi!" The young girl saying as she lifted her left hand. "Let's do this!"

"You too, Koichi!" The boy shouted, lifting his right hand.

"Jikirdo!"

"Jikuldo!"

A burst of energy suddenly generated from the children's palms, something that seemed to be charged with some sort of energy. The twins shuddered before putting their hands together, this massive energy suddenly fading for a moment.

"One, two, three." Hiku whispered, Sei nodding as they opened their hands.

To the shock of Kimiko and Tsumi, a powerful beam of purple energy suddenly shot through the hands of both of the children. It was emitting an energy the teenager couldn't explain to herself with rational thought, but it didn't matter what it was, because she could feel the strength of the blow from where she stood right then. This wasn't going to be good.

"Rerano!" The girl clenching her teeth together as she tried to focus on going through this strong instead of the power coming from the twins right then.

The purple shield appeared, the poison duo both kneeling down and hoping that they should be okay when it came to this. However, good things don't always happen when somebody really needs it to work that way. The beam made contact with the Rerano spell and the shield only managed to hold itself up for a few moments before shattering at the power of the enemy's attack. The energy beam hit the ground right where Kimiko had been standing moments before, the girl shuddering as she tried to regain a proper state of mind. That could have been her and their book, that one thing could have been the end of this entire thing.

'No, no it wouldn't be.' Kimiko standing up as she flipped through the pages of her book, Tsumi seeing the serious look in her eyes and responding wordlessly as he stood up. This wouldn't be easy, but they could do this!

"Rachido!" The brunette's voice strong as she called this out, the toxic gas of their first spell leaving the mouth of Tsumi as they waited until it clouded the area to take action. The sounds of Sei and Hiku coughing on the burning substance the only thing leading them forward as they reacted, moving closer through the smog they had created.

"Rokuryo!" Kimiko's voice suddenly reverberating through the silence, the poison shuriken of Tsumi's appearing in his palm as he made out the shadow of Hiku as he threw it in the direction with the sudden accuracy of a marksman.

"Jidorenren."

Something happened right then that neither could have expected, Sei taking her brothers hand and leaping up into the air with amazing strength. Both seemed to land above the cloud of toxic gas, the two demons taking enough time to smile to Tsumi in an intimidating way.

"Jikuldo!" Hiku placed his hands together, a blue beam of energy suddenly shooting out of his bare palms. Neither of the poison duo had enough time to properly react, Kimiko pulling her book to her chest and bracing for impact.

The force of the spell sent the two flying back and into the newly fallen snow, the brunette trying to hold in her groans of pain as she forced herself to sit up. Blinking in shock as she noticed red beginning to stain the white substance from where her face had been. The girl was a little stunned by this, lifting her hand and placing it against her forehead only to find that she was in fact bleeding.

"K-Kimi." The brunette turning to see her partner standing in the snow, blood dripping off of his left arm as the child looked to her. "Get back up; a little blood isn't going to stop us."

The brunette nodded as she got into her feet, opening her book and glaring as the two demons and their bookreaders. "Don't worry, I didn't plan on loosing this fight. We're going to get right back up." Smirking as she looked over their enemies. "Rokuryo!"

With that Tsumi threw the throwing star at them, the toxic gas filling the air as the weapon began to spin around. The poison beginning to drip out of the spikes on the shuriken suddenly, landing on the snow and beginning to singe it, the frozen water sizzling in reaction.

"Judorenren!" Sei jumped into the air once more, smirking as she looked down to see if she could find her sibling only to see nothing. The red demon frowning with confusion, only to hear a sound moments later that frightened her; the sound of Hiku crying out in agony.

As the gas cleared, everybody saw the blue demon kneeling in the snow while blood dripped onto the snow, the Rokuryo shuriken sticking in his arm while the poison on the tip dribbled into his wound and onto the ground. Now this had yet to happen before, the poison sticking into somebody's body and into a wound.

"H-Hiku!" Sei's suddenly soft voice whispering as she landed on the snow, rushing over to her twin and placing her hand on his shuddering shoulder with wide eyes of fear. "H-Hiku! Are you okay? Does it sting a lot?"

The blue twin looked up at her, steadying himself as he got to his feet. "I-I'm fine Sei, it's just a cut, nothing more." However, just from the look he seemed to give the poison duo it was obvious that this wasn't true, his face seeming to become a little paler.

"Do you think," Kimiko's voice soft as she turned to her partner, blinking as she found herself being taken over with thoughts. "That the poison in Rokuryo could have long lasting affects?"

"I-I don't know." The poison demon replied, looking over to Hiku. "But he's not looking so good, so my guess is going to be yes."

With that Kimiko flipped through her book, only Rokuryo was going to work right now and how long would it be before the both of the demons caught on to what they were doing? 'Damn it,' Kimiko gritting her teeth as she clenched the book's spine. 'We need something, an edge or something.'

"I won't let you guys win," Sei said as she stood up beside her brother. "Xenolith told us to do this and the both of us are going to do this together! Lavi!"

"Jikirdo!"

"Jikuldo!"

With that the twins placed their hands together again, the purple beam of energy being created once more and shooting forward and at the poison duo who stood there, frozen in shock and unable to really do anything about this.

"Get down!" Kimiko shoving Tsumi into the snow and lying beside him, placing her hands over her head while having her book sitting under her chest for protection. The beam hit the ground before them, creating an eruption that sent the both of them flying, Kimiko holding the book even closer as she smashed into the snow. 'Please, we need a new spell! We need something! Please!'

The girl opened her eyes, groaning in pain as she forced herself up onto her knees. Blood had begun to gush from her nose and stain her upper lip in a disgusting fashion, the girl trying to wipe it away as a bright purple light caught her eye. "W-What?! This can't be happening, right now!"

The poison demon stood up, blood beginning to build on his forehead from where he was nicked by a flying stone. "What is it?"

"It's a new spell." Kimiko whispered, smiling as she stood up and steadied herself. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Yeah!" Tsumi nodded as he straightened himself, trying to look rather intimidating as he nodded. He was ready to get this all over with, to use this final spell to destroy them both.

"You really think a new spell is going to take us out?" Sei said with a giggle, placing her hands on her hips. "Lavi, let's use the first spell again to end all of this!" Her bookreader nodding as she lifted up the novel, smirking with pleasure. "Jikirdo!"

With that a red beam shot out of the little girl's hands, Kimiko taking in a deep breath and bracing for whatever was about to happen. "The fourth spell, Zunsapen!"

Tsumi drew in a breath, on his hands and knees as he closed his eyes. He was ready to feel the power of some sort of spell leave him. But he felt nothing.

"Come on! Work!" Kimiko shouted, shaking the book while the bright purple light faded into nothing. "Please, please! Work!"

However, the fourth spell never came out, Kimiko's eyes wide as Sei's beam continued to come, striking the duo and sending them into the snow with sheer force.

"K-Kimi.." Tsumi lifting his head, shuddering as he tried to get back up onto his feet. "K-Kimi, we can't go down like this!"

The girl lifted her head, the book being protected by her arms. "T-The spell didn't work, Tsumi. What are we going to do if the next spell isn't going to work."

"I don't know, but we're not going to go down without a fight!" Tsumi whispered, the blood from his forehead staining the ground as the child sat up, taking gasping breaths.

"Tch, you really are weaklings, aren't you?"

This voice was familiar, Kimiko blinking as she pushed her body up only to find none other than Aislinn and Cheshire standing in front of her. The girl giving the both a look of shock as she found some of her words. "A-Aslinn?"

"Who else would it be?" The girl muttering as she gave Kimiko a look that basically seemed to call her insane.

"What are you doing here?" Tsumi said, wiping the blood from his forehead.

Cheshire snickered, seeming to take enjoyment in his simple question. "To help you fight, weakling. It's obvious that you can't do this on your own. So, let's fight together for now, just remember that this doesn't mean we're friends or anything like that. Let's just kick their asses and get this over with."


	19. You're the Purple Gem

_Hey guys,_

_Wow, it's just so insane to think that I am almost completely up to date on these chapters. That we only have one more chapter, which holds the last bookreader to be revealed in it, before we're all caught up. Now funny story, you know this character since he's been around quite a bit, at least enough to earn a name, which is of course a rather big deal since no random one line character really ever earns a name. Guess if you want, I'll be sure to tell you if you're right or not._

_And with this excitement comes a little bad news. Marching Band starts tomorrow, which actually takes up all my day; 8 am to 4:30 pm until school starts on the 26th (two days before my sixteenth, ugh). And well, if you don't understand why this is bad, let me come out and say this. I am going to be SWAMPED, especially when everything collides. Juggling school, band, free time, being in a relationship and writing for both novels and DBR is a little tough, but I plan on continuing to write, but a little less frequent until Marching Band ends. Because I will have school and band five days of the week, a football game every Friday for ten plus weeks and the occasional band competition on Saturdays. Welcome to my new life, which I am not too excited for, but what can I say? I am going to do my best to keep writing, but I knew I had to warn you all that from now on, things won't be as frequent, but that doesn't mean I am leaving this project behind. Not when I have come to love it so much._

_So, I guess I have been babbling a lot, but this little chunk at the top has basically become the Kiha newsletter, not that I mind too much. I better get to bed though, because I have a busy day tomorrow and the next few weeks. Wish me luck and enjoy the next chapter of Demon Battle Rises, a project I really couldn't have done without all of you guys that have supported me and given me the beautiful characters I have been able to develop through this journey._

_xKiha_

* * *

Kimiko sat up, feeling the blood from her forehead begin to trickle down her neck as she looked up to meet the eyes of Cheshire and Aislinn. Were they really here to fight with the both of them? Well, for some reason this sounded too good to be true but it was a possibility since Aislinn did begin to remember her identity in the last couple of days and she did state that she would consider fighting as part of the alliance.

"Does this mean you're part of the team now?" The girl muttered, getting to her feet and taking in a deep breath as she steadied herself.

The girl with scars simply shrugged. "I'm not sure; this fight is still very independent when it all comes down to it. I will fight with you and those others for now, but I won't promise that I will ever consider you all my friends. And this doesn't mean that we'll always be in this alliance, because in the end, we will all have to backstab one another to fight for kinghood."

Sure, that sounded cold and even spiteful, but for some reason this really didn't matter at this point. This gave the both of them support in this fight, some form of hope to fall back on if it seemed to get even worse than they thought it could get. They were ready to do this, Kimiko taking in a deep breath as Tsumi clenched his fists.

They were ready to do this, the poison duo focusing on Sei and Hiku. The blue demon seemed to be getting paler, stumbling as he struggled to steady himself on his own two feet. "They are twins." Tsumi muttered as he glanced over to Cheshire. "They seem to be solely energy spells, but I've only seen one attack spell from them both."

Cheshire only nodded, narrowing her silver eyes as she looked over the twins. They didn't seem to be very strong; maybe this just meant that Tsumi really was weaker than she had anticipated at first. Well, did it really matter? The snow leopard's claws emerged from her front paws, it was rather obvious that they were going to go out rather easily and this would just give her a reason to show her dominance in this partnership.

"Tch," Sei giggling as she looked over the anthropomorphic cat and her bookreader, red eyes lighting up with joy. "You really think that by adding another demon you will stand a better chance? My brother and I aren't some of Xenolith's favorites for nothing, mind you."

"We will see about that." Cheshire hissed, her voice suddenly rather spiteful and her eyes narrowing. Tsumi only glanced over to her for a brief moment before turning away, knowing full well that it would be for the best if he didn't say anything to her at this time.

"Jikirdo!"

"Jikuldo!"

Sei continued to giggle as she turned to her brother, seeing his struggle to create this energy and frowning to herself. Kimiko tried to make out what the girl was hissing to him but all she could

really hear was the red demon saying his name in a sharp tone. Hiku did manage to lift his hand though, but it was rather obvious that his energy wasn't as powerful as his sibling was as his breathing began to become shallower.

The beam left the hands of the twins, however it was much more of a violet color than it was an equal balance of the both colors to create a nice shade of purple.

They all noticed this, Kimiko taking Tsumi by the collar of his cloak and jumping out of the way and into the snow with the book clasped in her arms. Rather sloppy as always, but since it had worked for now neither really minded. As long as they were left alive and still in the battle, being sharp and neat doesn't mean all that much in the end.

However, Cheshire and Aislinn had managed to dodge much more, gracefully you could say. The girl with scars quickly whipping around as she opened her white spell book and placed her hand against the passage she has selected. "Yumburisu!"

With that Cheshire's paws and toes began glowing with white energy, each of the individual digits having a white orb all to itself that began to rest on it. With that she tossed one of these orbs at the purple beam the twins had sent forward at them both, Kimiko and Tsumi watching this in a bit of disbelief.

'That won't work,' The brunette biting at the skin in her lip as she watched the little orb fly into the beam. 'Your ratio isn't going to work that way, you are way out of proportion.'

Tsumi's eyes widened, the boy seeing the little orb actually managing to hold its own for a few moments before it began to tremble and the white spell suddenly exploded with power. "T That was what was meant to happen, wasn't it?" The child turning to look at Cheshire.

"Yes," The snow leopard muttered, nineteen of her digits still glowing with energy. "That is what this spell is meant to do."

Sei and Hiku had both been blown back by the explosion only because the attack had been closer to the siblings, the two laying in the snow for a few silent moments before the vengeful red demon forced herself to her feet with rage in her eyes. "How dare you!" Her voice a hating squeal as she clenched her hands. "You can't win! Come on, Hiku!"

The blue demon was now extremely pale, his eyelids drooping and his breathing even more shallow than before. Just standing now seemed to be an amazing feat for the little boy who was struggling to breathe as he coughed, blood staining his hands. He was obviously fighting an inner battle, trying to keep himself on his feet and able to fight while his body most likely wanted to give up and let the poison it had taken in eat it up.

"What's happening to the kid?" Cheshire muttered, furrowing her brow with confusion.

Probably not the greatest time to try and explain something, but they didn't really have much of a choice. Tsumi looking to Hiku in shock before sighing to himself. "Honestly, that would be my spell that's doing that." Both Aislinn and Cheshire looking at the poison demon in a bit of shock as he continued. "One of my spells leaks a poison liquid and it managed to get into his body, I'm not sure how bad the poison gets once it's inside your body, but now that I'm getting to see what it looks like I know it's only going to get worse."

"You!"

The four looked over to see Sei, her finger pointing to the young boy with rage building up. "You did this to my brother!" The rage in her voice strong as she trembled in her own powerful fury. "I am going to destroy you for this! Lavi!"

"Jidorenfuku!"

With that Sei raised both of her hands into the air, red sparkles beginning to be absorbed into the red demon's hands as she held her breath with focus. The serious look in her eyes told the poison and dream duo that this wasn't going to be a simple attack they were about to witness right then.

"Take this!"

As the four watched in shock, Sei lowered her hands and narrowed her eyebrows, a sudden beam of red energy shooting out of the child's hands at twice the speed of her first spell and with a lot more power inside of it. If Hiku had been able to do something similar, it would probably destroyed them both without any difficulty at all.

Cheshire braced herself, throwing another one of the white orbs that rested on her left upper paw and watching it go into the thick attack of the enraged red demon. Her silver eyes widening in shock as she watch the thing explode only for the beam to continue coming at her, but gaining in speed as it came.

"Zunsapen!"

Kimiko tried to focus herself as Tsumi stood before her, the only thing on their minds was trying to get this fourth spell to work for them as she tried to place all of her energy and thought into this. 'P Please work this time!'

"Kimi!"

The girl opened her hazel eyes to see Tsumi looking at her in panic, the child shoving her into the snow as the energy beam narrowly missed hitting the both of them by only a few centimeters. Sei throwing her foot down in anger as she noticed that they had managed to dodge the attack she had sent, looking back to her brother and feeling her heart beginning to pound out of concern for her sibling.

"Damn it!"

The poison demon turned to look at the brunette beside him, watching her fist hit the purple spellbook in frustration in anger. "Why won't you work with me! We need this spell! We need it!" Tsumi not sure what to say to his partner as she continued to yell at the novel that held all of their power together as a team.

"Yelling at it isn't going to do anything."

Kimiko turned to see Aislinn wiping snow off of her clothing, the girl sighing to herself as she looked to the purple bookreader. "You can't expect the book to do everything for you, because if you rely on that to do all the work the both of you won't be lasting much longer in this fight."

'You're right, I guess I just don't know how it works,' Kimiko standing as she clasped her book tight to her chest. She couldn't show weakness this far into this fight, nodding to Tsumi who smiled to her in understanding.

"Jikuldo!"

Hiku had managed to regain his footing, the child clenching his teeth as he clasped his palms shut tightly. "We...we are not...g going...to lose!" The blue demon's eyes suddenly getting wide as he opened his palms and released a powerful blue energy beam. It wasn't enough to rival his sister's third spell, but for a child that looked like he had one foot in the grave this spell's power was a little shocking to them both.

"Cheshire." Aislinn's voice calm as the anthropomorphic cat leaped into action, releasing only three of the white orbs that she had remaining, freeing one of her hands of these tiny bombs. Although she was much too fast to follow with your eyes, it was soon apparent what she had meant to do when smoke began to clear from the area.

She had used the first to destroy the blue beam that had been sent at her with ease, the second had been to hit Hiku who now lay in the snow in only bloody remnants of his clothing and the final one had narrowly missed Koichi who now sat back in a bit of surprise, his blue spellbook sitting before him engulfed in flame.

"H Hiku!"

The young blue demon opened an innocent eye, looking to see his sister and smiling to her sweetly as his entire body was beginning to fade along with his book. "Hey, sis." Voice soft and weak as he croaked out these words.

"No! No, Hiku, you can't go! You can't leave me alone!" The red demon's hands resting on his shoulder as she cried out for her sibling and for the attention she most likely wanted to receive from him. "I can't fight this on my own."

"I I wish I could stay longer and help you fight, but I can't." Hiku forced out, his body nothing more than an outline now. "You've got to finish this Sei, for Lord Xenolith. You are the only person who can do this now!"

The red demon tried to hold back her tears but couldn't stop herself from crying, watching her brother begin to fade away as she hugged him tightly, moments later finding that she was holding nothing but the air. With that she clasped her fists tightly, standing up and turning to Tsumi and Cheshire in a flaming rage. "You destroyed my brother! You separated the both of us!"

Tsumi tried to keep himself calm, but his own anger was beginning to shine through as he glared at the red demon. He just couldn't take her anymore, looking at his bookreader with eyes that exclaimed just how desperate he was to get rid of her once and for all and then get out of here as an escape from what he was now unable to stand. "Shut up!"

Sei blinked, continuing to tremble as she stared at the poison child. "Why should I! You destroyed my sibling after almost killing him with those poison spells!"

"And that is my fault?" The red demon stopping as she heard the little boy shout this. "I didn't make you fight me, I didn't force you to listen to Xenolith and become one of his little lackeys. This is all on you and Hiku, because unlike you I am not going to be one of his tools and I am never going to let you walk out of here to tell the story of what we can do."

The little girl backed up, but furrowed her eyebrows even so. "I don't see that happening, but you would know nothing about this. You don't even know what my Lord's goal is, poison, so you have no room to talk."

"Kimiko."

The brunette turned to see her demon standing there with his head lowered, suddenly looking up to her with a serious look inside his poison purple irises. She opened her book, taking in a deep breath before looking at Sei. "I don't think it's going to work...it hasn't done anything for us yet, so why would it now?"

"Just focus on this and nothing more, feel the spell and don't become consumed in emotions or even yourself."

This sudden maturity and wisdom shocked even Aislinn and Cheshire who were already to finish this fight and move on with their lives. The fact that this sudden charm of advice came out of the mouth of the child left them all looking to him for a moment in nothing more than disbelief, but Kimiko only nodded as she figured this would be worth a shot if nothing else. The only problem was how long could they rely on a complete dud before their time ran out. Probably not that much longer.

"Jidorenfuku!"

Sei released the powerful red beam from her hands, voice an angry scream. "This is for Hiku!"

'Don't think about anything else, focus on the spell. Clear your mind, clear everything.' Kimiko taking in a calm breath as her hand slid up the page to feel its crisp pages. "Here we go. The fourth spell, Zunsapen!"

To the shock of everybody, this time something was very different. Kimiko opening her eyes to see Tsumi stopped in his tracks with his mouth suddenly opening and eyes wide with pupils dilated. From there, a rather large poison serpent was created and it quickly took action.

The poison creation was more than fast, using amazing speed to crash right into the powerful beam of energy and seemed to simply slither right through it without giving a lot of effort at all. Soon there wasn't even a red beam, Sei blinking in shock at this before noticing that Zunsapen wasn't going to stop, letting out a cry of horror as she tried to evade this monster. "N No!"

Finally it got close to the red demon and her bookreader, the creature opening its mouth to reveal rather sharp toxic fangs and letting out a rather cold hiss before springing on them. The only sound to be heard was Sei's scream of terror as this happened.

The snake seemed to erupt into a toxic solution on impact, but this was obviously much more than that because while laying in the toxic stuff, Lavi found that her book was burning.

"That is completely sickening." Cheshire muttered as she looked over the scene, not going to admit that the spell had somewhat peaked her interests. Aislinn nodding before she glanced over to Kimiko for only a moment. "Alright, well we will be going now, but you're going to beat whatever you can out of the girl, right?"

"Yeah." The brunette nodding and going to say more only to see that her classmate had already begun walking away from her. The girl sighing to herself before turning to Tsumi and nodding to him as the both began walking forward.

Sei was laying in the poison remains, breathing slightly shallow as she saw the young poison demon and found herself snickering to herself. "Y You are something, you really are." The girl trying to properly laugh only to find that the toxins brought her too much hurt to actually laugh. "No wonder...no wonder we are all being sent here to try and lure you closer to the Lord."

Tsumi frowned, getting closer to Sei as he furrowed his brow, clenching his small fists. "What are you talking about? E Everybody mentions that Xenolith sends them here for something, but what is it? What does he want from me, from my friends? What in the world does he want from Otaru?!"

The red demon was beginning to fade away, smiling as she took in a rather raspy breath. "He wants to have his purple gem in his grasp. He wants the gem that he desires more than anything and...and he will do whatever it takes for his jewel to be in his grasp once more."

"What is the purple gem?" Tsumi said, continuing to shout in frustration as Kimiko bit into her lip. She was sure she already knew the answer to this one, but she didn't want to hear it confirmed to her.

"You're not exactly a smart guy, are you?" Sei giggling with a sigh as her body mostly turned into dark and ruby red sparkles like her brother before her. "It is you, Tsumi, you are the purple gem."

The child froze, his entire body tensing up as his voice became nothing but a rather weak whisper. "Me? Xenolith is looking to have me?"

"Yeah, it's you. You are the one thing that he wants in this world, the only thing he is looking for in this place. He will do anything he can to get his ugly hands on you and I don't doubt this for a moment. He is going to come after you eventually, jewel and even if that means brainwashing your bookreader and destroying your allies, he will do it. Remember this one thing, poison gem, when Lord Xenolith wants something, he always gets exactly what it is that he desires."

Kimiko shook her head, Tsumi trembling as Sei faded away after giggling in a rather satisfied tone. The brunette taking in a breath as she tried not to think about it.

'It would be for the best if you remembered that, that defying me will be futile, because I always get what it is that I desire in the end.


	20. Icarus and Kincad

_Hey guys,_

_I don't usually update so early in the day, but since I am rather tired from my first day back in Marching Band, I figured that I would upload this early in the day so I wouldn't have to worry about it later. So, a bit earlier today, you are winning this story. I doubt any abed reader would care too much though, if anything I guess they would be excited. But, to those that love this story, are you ready?_

_Are you ready to have new chapters for this story? Because I am, I really really am!_

_Okay, now I better give you this chapter, I'm almost wanting to take a nap soon enough. Have fun,_

_xKiha_

* * *

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore, he won't speak to me and he barely does anything. I know why he's doing this, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch this happen. I feel like I should be doing something more about this, but what?"

Kimiko stood in the hallway of her home, leaning against her bedroom door. Held up to her ear was a home line phone, the girl sitting in silence for only a few moments before another voice came.

"I know it's going to be hard, but you've got to give him some time." Kyo's voice soft and comforting as his voice came out of the phone. "I mean, it's not easy to be told that you are the thing that Xenolith wants. That the puppet master will do anything to get his hands on you, even if it means destroying everything that you hold dear in the unfamiliar environment you have been cast into. I don't think I would take it very well either."

"You're right." The brunette sighing to herself as she leaned her head back against the wood of her door. "You always know just what to say, Kyo. If you were here I'd probably hug you."

For a moment there was silence, then there came the nervous chuckle of the teenager with raven hair, making the brunette's heart pound slightly when she wondered what emotion that chuckle was trying to secretly cover up. "Well, I will be there soon."

Right away the girl straightened her spine and lifted her head, voice getting slightly excited. "You're coming to visit again? When are you coming?"

"No, not to visit."

Kimiko frowned, holding the phone closer to her ear in suspense. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Kyo's voice trailing off for a moment as if he hadn't planned on telling her just yet. "I am moving over to Otaru, I'm coming over to there so I can be closer to you and the rest of the alliance members. It's not great that I am so far away from you guys and that it takes so long for me to go over and visit when I think I should, so I figured the best way to handle this problem was so move over there to be closer to you all. That way I don't have to blow all of my money on going back and forth all the time just so I can talk plans over with you for two hours before rushing back to my home."

"Wow. So, when are you moving?"

"Next week on Thursday. I already have my apartment picked out, so all I need to do is get my stuff and myself and Amera moved over there."

The brunette smiled softly, relaxing once again. "That's great that you are coming over here, I can't wait to have you closer. This way I'll be able to talk to you more, like face to face conversation instead of talking on the phone and hoping the other person can get your point."

Kyo softly chucked from the other end, nodding even though the person on the other side couldn't see him do it. "You've got that right."

The high school girl felt herself softly smile, not wanting to think much about the severity of everything that continued to fall apart around them. She really did want to talk to Kyo for a while longer and savor this conversation, but she couldn't exactly do that when she had something more important to tend to. She looked to the door leading into her room, sighing to herself only because she knew this couldn't be avoided. "Hey, I've got to get going, I'll talk to you later. Alright?"

"Oh? Yeah, that's fine by me. Bye, Kimiko."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone, standing up and placing it on the table that sat close to her. Her thin fingers ran through her hair, the girl trying to keep her momentum up as she turned to her door and knocked after drawing in a deep breath. "Tsumi?"

Although there came no worded response, it was more than a little obvious that the child was in fact able to hear her as the sounds of movement coming from behind the door became much more apparent. If he didn't want to speak, that was fine, but it wasn't going to stop her from coming in and trying to have a decent conversation with him.

The child was laying on his futon, his small back turned to the door. You could tell just by the way that he carried his shoulders and his body language in general that something was more than a little wrong, voice meek and irritated. "G-Go away, Kimi."

"I'm sorry Tsumi, I am afraid I cannot do that," The brunette joked in a monotone voice before walking over to the poison demon, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But in all seriousness, we do need to talk about what you're feeling right now."

"What, that I am putting you all in danger because a man I don't even know wants to have me for a reason I don't know? That without even trying, I am risking everybody that decides to help me just by being there with them!" The child refusing to turn around as he shouted this to her, believing everything he said about this, the thoughts in his mind making him want to scream and cry.

Kimiko felt him tremble, shaking her head. "No, this isn't your fault. This is nothing but circumstance. Rough things happen to everybody throughout their lives and it's going to be alright, even if you don't believe it's going to be now. Remember what happened when we told the others? What did they do when we told them who exactly the purple gem was?"

"Nothing really, they all just kind of felt bad for me and continued with our plans of destroying Xenolith."

"Exactly, so why be depressed about something everybody else is okay with?"

The child sighed, turning to look at her with a look of both fear and concern. "Because, I have an idea of how strong this guy is and I'm pretty sure that he is more than used to getting his way when he wants it. This entire thing might be nothing but a tragic risk and I don't know what I would do if everybody else got destroyed all because of me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself and the thought that he might hurt you is the worst thought of all! He could do that, Kimi, he could go after you and hurt you only because he would know it would make me listen to him so I could protect you!"

It was understandable, the bookreader sighing as she ruffled his purple locks. "I know it's rough, but we can't just sit here and do nothing. We are going to do this because we have to, because it's what must be done at this point. I don't like the idea any more than you do, but I know we don't have much of a choice any more. It's either do something about it or let more people suffer as puppet master tries his hardest to inch closer and closer to us. We are going to have to fight him eventually, so we can't let him tear us up before this has even started."

Tsumi nodded to his partner, faking a soft smile. "I-I know, but I just can't help feeling scared and useless. Like I don't stand a chance and this is nothing but a suicide mission."

"I know, I know. I feel that way too buddy. I feel that too."

.

.

.

"Are you serious?"

Setsuna shut his locker as he glared at Flynn with his ruby red eyes, trying to keep himself calm as he lightly pinched the bridge of his nose in stress "You are going with a bunch of freshmen to try and take down _him?_ Flynn, that has to be one of the stupidest things you have ever said!"

Flynn leaned against some of the lockers, shrugging slightly. "Look, they're going to need a doctor or somebody to make sure they don't get too beaten up, to make sure that nobody di-" The sophomore stopping as he realized his choice of words probably would not be the best.

Setsuna sighed, brushing a long black lock out of his eyes. "To make sure nobody dies, right?"

The guy looking away to avoid seeing the nod he knew Flynn was going to give him, not wanting to see what he knew he was going to get. "Look, none of you guys know anything major about the bastard. Sure, that one kid asked me a few things, but this is basically a blind mission you all are just tearing into!"

"You don't think they all know this?" Flynn replied, sighing deeply in the frustration of knowing his friend was only hearing what he was expecting to hear, not the reasoning or the logic, but only what he wanted. "They are more than a little aware of how serious this stuff is. However, they don't really have much of a choice and now it turns out that our leader's, or the girl we have sort of adapted as our leader, partner is the thing that Puppet Master wants and has been searching for. We're running out of time here, which means we don't have much of a choice anymore."

"Well, if you guys are going, you are probably going to need at least one person who has an idea of what you are all going up against."

Flynn turned to give his friend a confused look, voice getting slightly more airy. "Setsu, you're not going to come along with us, are you?"

"Oh, yes I am." The other replied, his red eyes narrowed now as he folded his arms. "I want to see that bastard go down more than anything in this world, so if you think I am going to pass up the chance to see him go down you have finally cracked, Flynn."

The doctor pursed his lips, trying not to overreact about this. He couldn't exactly push Setsuna away for being unarmed, because honestly so was he when it came to this thing. Anyways, he had less experience in this sort of thing then Setsuna did, so he wasn't in the right sort of position to complain about his friend's choices. "Fine, but you will be the one to explain it to Kimiko and Kenja that you are coming with, whether or not they want you to."

"Kenja, hn, that's the freshmen who talked to me about Xenolith before, right?" The teen with raven locks asked, smirking to himself when he saw his best friend give him a nod of confirmation. "Then I should have no problem getting in to the group."

He didn't want to say anything to bring Setsuna down, Flynn shrugging as he figured his friend would try to do what he wanted and whatever happened next would be what he accepted as the right choice. Oh well, at least he knew it wasn't going to involve him. He would leave it up to the bookreaders, who hopefully would know just how to handle this like they usually did. Well, as long as Michael or Kenja was there to be part of the decision making they would be at least.

.

.

.

The bell that ended the day sounded, the class bowing to in respect before turning around to gather all of their stuff to go home. Right away Kenja's azure eyes met Kimiko's hazel irises, nodding to her with a half-hearted smile. More planning for the phases of this fight tonight, nothing more than planning for what was going to be something they could never really be fully prepared for no matter what. Not something to look forward to, because it involved a lot of stress and a lot of planning for the worst, but at this point they couldn't afford to focus on anything else but the worst case scenario.

"Kenja, Kimiko, I want you both to come speak to me when the room clears."

Both bookreaders froze right away, looking to see their teacher with a rather knowledgeable look in his always warm eyes. The teacher running a hand through his blond hair before motioning them to come closer to him.

"What does he want with us?" Kimiko whispered, glancing over to their teacher before looking back to Kenja. "Did we do something wrong?"

"Not that I can think of." Kenja replied, voice still managing to be calm even though it was pretty obvious he was not looking forward to whatever was about to happen to him. "I know my grades have yet to lower to more than a low A even with me in the hospital, so he is not upset about us failing, or at least me. Maybe he has taken concern in our states after a demon battle and he wants an explanation for that."

"Well, how would we explain something like that to our _teacher_?"

"I do not know, but follow my lead if he asks this." Kenja replied, figuring that something on the lines of 'we fight with children that use magical powers to destroy each other, but these powers can only come from books that only one person in the entire world can read, which means we have to be there for them all the time in case another demon child comes along to destroy mine' wouldn't exactly sound very convincing. Maybe it would make a good story, but it wouldn't be a very good excuse for getting a bad grade in a class. He might end right back up in the hospital for that one.

With that, the poison and fire bookreaders walked over to the desk of their teacher, eyes avoiding his gaze in fear of getting in trouble for something they were not sure they did yet. However, as Yukio Kincad reached down to get something and spoke, his voice became much more warm. "So, I bet you two are freaking out, wondering why I singled you out from the rest of the class."

"A little bit," Kimiko replied, trying to keep herself composed. "But I'm sure it's a good reason that you have."

"Oh, well you both know the answer to this one deep inside, but I guess because it's so deep you wouldn't consider it on the inside."

With that the teacher sat up, placing a golden colored spell book on the desk, looking up to see the awe-stricken faces of his students and smiling softly. "See, this is something you should always expect to hear, even from people you don't want to hear it from."

"I never considered something like that," Kenja replied nervously, reaching into his bag only so he could feel the spine of Kesai's orange book against his fingertips to comfort himself. "However, now all I can think about is if you are a friend or a foe."

Kincad's own hand was resting on his book, eyes soft as he looked over the two. "Don't worry, I am not here to fight the both of you. I know what you, along with a few others, are trying to do."

"You know about Xenolith?"

The teacher nodded, voice seeming to remain calm as he spoke to them both. "Yes, I know a bit about the man, or at least as much as my partner and I could gather for now. I believe you know more about this than I do about the subject." Kenja nodding in confirmation as the man continued, they knew few things but it was enough to give them an idea of what to expect. "I see, well all I am proposing at this point is to offer my help. I would like to be a part of your team to help you all out and if you will accept, my partner and I will be sure to make worthy adversaries."

Kimiko looked to her classmate, frowning to him in hope that he understood her dilemma. This could be a good thing to have more people fighting with you on your side, but then again this could also be a problem if Kincad and his demon were too weak to keep up with the rest of the group and either endangered them or ended up dragging everybody else down with them in the heat of battle. Well, there would only be one way to figure out if this would be a good or a bad thing to accept.

" , is there any way we might be able to meet your partner?"

"Of course, I believe he is meeting your partners for the first time as well."

"K-Kimiko!"

"Kenja!"

Both of the bookreaders jerked as the door of the classroom flew open, turning to see their partners standing their with voices heavy with lost breath. They had wide eyes and seemed to be trembling, but the moment they managed to find their voices they became desperate to tell them both everything they knew.

"There is a demon," Kesai shouted through slight pants. "There is a demon out there who wanted to be around us. T-Told us that you guys were talking to the bookreader he had!"

"A-Are you guys okay?!" Tsumi muttered, finally catching his breath with cheeks slightly flushed.

To the shock and the relief of the demons, both Kimiko and Kenja nodded in response to their question. They seemed more than a little fine, the teacher sitting at the desk then standing as his hands slid off his golden colored book. Both demons flinched as they saw his hands on the book, not wanting to put too much thought into the situation as they backed up.

"It's alright, I am not here to fight you." Both demons nervously nodding as they froze in place, the man frowning as he looked around. "Icarus. This is not a joke, now come on out."

The children suddenly looked up for a moment only to see a white blur pass them both by, rubbing their eyes in a bit of shock before watching this white blur land on the desk of . The both of them blinking in a bit of surprise as they looked over the young boy.

Right away they took interest in him, the child having beautiful angel wings sprouting from his shoulderblades. They moved slightly before he seemed to curl them up, the wings comfortably pressing against his back. He had short platinum blond hair that teased at his forehead and deep ocean eyes, a wise but cocky look in his pupils. He wore white robes that looked like they had been fashioned in ancient Greece, golden accents and pins holding the robes together, his shoes matching the color of the accents and having rather small wings on them as well. Covering his arms and legs were a spiritual light blue assortment of tattoos, different markings and patterns that may have meant something in a different culture.

"Are you just going to stand there and look at me?" Icarus folding his arms slightly as he sat on the desk of the teacher, crossing his arms but still speaking in a rather wise sounding voice that felt more than a little alluring. "I'm not going to do anything to you guys."

Kimiko glanced over to Kenja, who merely glanced back in a bit of shock. This demon belonged to their teacher and as interesting as he looked and no matter how great the situation seemed, would it really be right for them to fight alongside their teacher? Could they ever be comfortable with something like that happening?

Then again, wouldn't it be nice to have an actual adult there with them during their descent into Xenolith's castle? To rely on an adult figure when things felt like they were too difficult to handle at that point in time.

"Just say what's on your mind, Kimiko, Kenja." Their teacher walking to the front of his desk and leaning against the side by his partner. "I am not forcing you to do anything you don't want to, it's not like I am going to turn on you if this does not go the way I want it to. You are old enough to make your own choices, which means you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings or making choices that aren't always easy."

The brunette turned to her partner, kneeling down and sighing as she whispered. "What do you think? Icarus seems strong and is a really smart guy."

"I know they are strong, I can feel their energy," The poison demon replied, glancing over to the angelic child for a moment. "I want to give them a try, but I don't know about it. They're strangers, but their energy is relaxing and focused, almost like they're trying to get us to believe them, but it's working pretty well."

Kimiko frowned, seeing the serious look in her partner's eyes. "So, what you're saying is you're okay with them going us?"

Tsumi went to nod before turning and looking to Kesai, who broke from speaking with Kenja only so he could look at the poison demon, ears going flat against his hair in consideration before giving his friend a slight shrug. Neither really knew what to think in this kind of a situation and it was becoming a bit more challenging to figure out who exactly they should consider friend and who they should consider foe. Then again this man taught their bookreaders and seemed trustworthy and it wasn't like a horrible aura was radiating off of Icarus. It didn't feel very as welcoming as they would have liked, but hey, in a time like this who can afford to be picky.

"Well, do you have an idea of what you both want to do about this?" Kenja brushing a lock of blond out of his face, azure eyes locked onto Kimiko with hope for a certain answer.

"I think we're going to let them join," Tsumi blurted out, Kesai nodding as he folded his arms and spoke the rest of the sentence. "Another person to help us out and it wouldn't hurt to have that, so we are thinking we should, even if just for that reason."

Icarus smiled slightly, unfurling his wings as they spread to a rather majestic looking length, the pure white down on them catching everybody's eyes. "Good, I'm sure you won't regret letting us on the team."

"Hopefully," Kimiko replied as she looked away for a moment. "Because, we're going to Xenolith's castle next week. We're going to need all the help we can get if this is going to work the way we want it to. Every demon that wants to help us will be accepted at this point, because we don't know much about the puppet master."

"Well, I cannot offer any knowledge on Xenolith, we haven't encountered him ever or heard much about the man." Yukio then placing his hand on Icarus's head as the child smiled very slightly. "However, I can offer your our strength and wit, I can place it in your hands and let you do what you please with it."

The brunette smiled softly in gratitude, nodding to her teacher. "Thank you so much for doing that for us, I don't know how I'm going to repay you."

"Don't worry about it, I'm doing this because we're in the same situation and I know just how hard this is going to be."

"I wish we could have a solid idea of that, but we really don't. But we shouldn't worry about that right now, because what we really need to focus on is one simple thing. That time is running out and soon enough we are going to have to face him, because with every passing day we get closer and closer to the end of our time."


	21. Lavender and Lulu

_Hey Guys,_

_So, this is a rather big deal. I am finally releasing a chapter of DBR that I have written in the last few months. This one is officially never before seen, which makes this very exciting. Funny story about it, the beginning of this chapter was actually written once before a few months ago, but I hated it so much I scrapped it right away. But this time, I like it, because it brings us right into the minds of Yukio Kincad and Kenja._

_Other than that, I urge you to get ready, because soon enough, these chapters dive into what I would call my inner horror movie director. Because with the Xenolith arc, we get a lot of horror inspired moments that make me rather happy. What I mean of course is that, at least when writing it, the horror I am attempting to create for Xenolith feels rather genuine. But, I guess that will be decided by readers in the future, if the scenes to come are scary enough. _

_And anyways, for now it's time for you all to enjoy a new chapter of DBR. I hope you enjoy, because there is so much more to come in the future._

_xKiha_

* * *

"Alright, so, you're sure this is where we would find the puppet master's hideout? Right over here?"

Kenja nodded as he stepped away from the chalk board, the drawing of Hokkaido wasn't all that detailed but he made sure everything looked close enough to what it was so it could at least be recognized when glanced at. "Yes sir, according to what I was told before the image I'm showing you now was burned into my mind, this is where Xenolith is currently hiding."

Mr. Kincad nodded, studying the board. "I see, well he's just as clever as I figured. This would be an abandoned Island that would probably be very easy to use as your own little secret base." The man's hand stroking his narrow chin for a moment as he continued to look over the drawing. "It's just a little worrying to think about, because with all that space, who knows what he could be doing."

The blond student bit into his lip, trying to meet the eyes of Yukio Kincad. "It's even more worrying when you wonder who it was that gave me this information. Because from what Kimiko tells me, the people and demons that are unlucky enough to become Xenolith's puppets always talk about a cold and coaxing voice. What spoke to me and granted me with the location, it had a voice that fits that description rather closely."

"Ah, so you're worried that maybe Xenolith is going to use you and Kesai as his next victims?"

Kenja nodded as Kesai looked up from the game of Sevens he was playing with Icarus, both had been dragged into the classroom by their bookreader and even though it didn't seem like the two would talk or make friends at first right after the teenager gave Kesai a pack of cards to entertain himself it was like magic. The kitsune and the angel had been playing ever since, which made Kenja very proud to see the fire demon finally able to get along with others.

"Somehow, I have a feeling he won't lay a finger on you, at least not yet." Mr. Kincad replied, jotting down a few notes before looking over the map once more.

"Sir?" The student watching his teacher with eyes hungry for understanding.

"Well, you and Kimiko have made it clear that what Xenolith is looking for is this purple gem, which you recently learned was Tsumi himself. Nobody but the Puppet Master knew this before, but it seems he was always trying to push you forward. I have a sneaking suspicion that all of the snippets of information you received before was only a ploy to seek more and that in the end, he wanted all of us together."

"And what does that have to do with the idea of Kesai and I being safe for the time being?" Kenja asked, trying to figure out how exactly all of this fit into the equation.

"Well, because since he's putting us all together, he won't use you at a puppet until you've done as he wanted." Mr. Kincad explained. "If he's the one speaking to you, he's only feeding into your desires for understanding and your need to take him down. Xenolith knows that you want to know where he's hiding and what he's doing and he's sewing his seeds. In the end, I have a feeling that the closer we get to understanding this demon, the more danger we're going to be putting ourselves in."

Kenja drew in a shaking breath, slumping back into a chair, rubbing his temples. So in the end, he was nothing other than another puppet of Xenolith's? Of course he was, just other ploy for another to benefit from. "There's nothing I can do about that, is there?"

"When it comes to fighting against what Xenolith has planned for you, I-I…I don't think you can."

Kenja looked away, trying to push away the fear filling his body. "That's what I was afraid of."

The teacher tried to figure out how to console a student like Kenja, knowing the teenager would just be more upset if he found out that Kincad had been lying to him to make him feel better. When it came to this kid, there really wasn't anything he could do to make it all better. "I know this is hard, but I'm sure it will all work out in the end."

The teenager faked a gentle smile in the hopes that Yukio would believe it and not feel burdened with having to make him feel better. "I'm sure you are right."

'_He's going to bury his feelings inside and just hope I don't call him out for it, he's really afraid of worrying me. Almost like he's afraid of being a weight on my shoulders when I'm the one who brought this fear to his attention.' _Mr. Kincad drawing in a breath as he began to erase the drawing off the board, not wanting to make eye contact with Kenja anymore in fear of the teenager noticing his concern. "Well, Kenja, you are dismissed. I think I've put you through more than enough for today."

"It was no trouble at all, sir." Kenja replied gently, getting out of the chair with his azure eyes diverted. "Thank you, I'm glad we got to talk over this. It's nice to have an adult on our side that has an idea of what's going on and is gracious enough not to talk down to me."

Even though he didn't turn around to see it, the teacher knew that his student was bowing to him in respect. "Of course, Kenja. Thank you for sharing all of the information you had with me, I'm grateful to be able to work with a student as gifted as you."

Kesai turned to see his bookreader ready to go, turning to Icarus and smirking. "Guess this means I won by default."

"Oh really now?" Icarus asked him, looking back up over their game. "Are you sure?"

The kitsune laughed nervously, waving his newfound friend off. "Okay, fine, fine. You win, okay?" Gathering the cards up while Icarus rolled his eyes at Kesai's somewhat pathetic attempt to try and claim victory against the smarter angel.

"Take care, Kenja." Mr. Kincad turning to see his student head for the door, smiling in a reassuring and paternal fashion. "I'm sure you and Kesai will be able to manage without much trouble though."

"I appreciate that you think that, sir."

'_But if anything, we're really going to need your support.'_

.

.

.

"Thank you for everything, Flynn. It means so much when you're kind enough to give some of your time to helping us out."

A few teachers sat in the teacher's lounge, smiling to the heterochromic teenager with gratitude as Flynn stood up to leave the room. "Oh it was no trouble at all, I like helping out."

"But still," One of the teachers replied. "You always brighten up the room and you help the process go at lot faster. You're quite the natural when it comes to grading tests."

Flynn laughed gently, blushing slightly in flattery. "Thanks for saying that, you're too kind to me." The teenager then remembering that he had homework that he couldn't neglect and headed for the door. "I better get home; I have some work I need to get done."

"Well, thank you for everything again, Flynn."

The young doctor gave them all a gentle smile before he left the teacher's lounge and entered the hallways. Since it was after hours, the building was basically a ghost town with all the hallways completely baron and empty. He didn't mind all that much, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he began to walk through these halls with only the goal of getting out of the building.

As he began to pass the lockers however, he found he wasn't alone, turning to see none other than Aislinn removing some things from her locker. The male drawing in a deep breath and trying to keep himself from saying anything stupid to her. "Hey, Aislinn."

Right away the girl with scars turned to see him, blinking blankly for a moment as she studied his face. He seemed familiar enough, but putting a name or identity to this person suddenly felt like an impossible feat. He was somebody, but she couldn't be all that sure who he was. "Who are you?" She bluntly asked, cocking her head.

"I'm Flynn, remember?" The heterochromic teenager knowing not to take this personally as he only smiled to her, not wanting to make her feel like he was frustrated with the forgetfulness she was prone to. "I'm a doctor in training and we've been friends for a while."

Flynn.

Flynn.

Aislinn focused on the name for a few moments before blinking and nodding. "Oh, yes. I remember you now, Flynn." Giving him a soft look that made Flynn faintly blush at just the gentleness within the girl she didn't seem to show most people. He felt so special right then.

"So, uh, what are you doing here so late?" The young doctor asked, trying to keep his mind off the reason he was blushing.

"Just doing some extra work for one of my classes, one of the after school teachers is very helpful." The girl with scars replied, removing another notebook from her locker and placing it in her satchel.

"Oh, alright." Flynn smiling to her before his watch beeped. He had to get home now, especially because he couldn't leave Tora with Eri and Esu this long. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't have much of a choice. "Well, I better get going. My little sister will probably start to wonder where I am if I don't come home soon."

"Okay, goodbye, Flynn." Aislinn nodding with another soft smile, making Flynn blush once more before he forced himself to nod and look away. "Bye, Aislinn."

Although he wasn't too thrilled to do it, Flynn began heading towards the door once more and this time he made it out with no distractions. By now it was beginning to get late, the cold December snow covering the ground in a thick blanket.

But this, as Flynn noticed, was very wrong.

This snow he was standing on was fresh, but he knew it hadn't snowed today. Especially when only feet away there was a lack of recently fallen snow, the doctor in training swallowing. This meant something was very wrong about the spot he was standing in right now.

"Oh, look there. It's one of the Master's pawns, which means he is close with the purple gem. There's our little victim for this operation, Lulu, we've finally found him. And with this, oh think about it, the Master could be all over us. All we need to do is lure the purple gem out and hand him over to the Master, then we'll be able to properly succeed in what everybody else the Lord has sent has failed in doing. Now, read the spell, we don't have a lot of time."

"Tsurara!"

.

.

.

Kesai's ears pricked up right away, the kitsune wrinkling his nose. "Kenja, there's an enemy here." Voice urgent as he tried to keep his mind off the scent he had now caught onto.

"There is?" The teenager frowning as he removed his book from his backpack, looking to the child and finding himself confused by the expression on his face. "What exactly are you doing with your nose, Kesai? Are you trying to make some kind of joke?"

The fire demon looked up at his bookreader with a sigh, not understanding why Kenja would ask such a stupid question in a time like this. "No, I'm not making a joke. You know full well how sensitive my nose it, which is made worse by the fact that almost every different type of demon has its own scent. And if you asked my least favorite type of demon judging by scent alone I'd tell you that it would have to be the ice demons."

"And why would you say something like that? What makes ice demons so unbearable when it comes to their scents?"

"They all have this bitter scent, the main staple in their scent is a rotting pine tree odor and other than that you usually find things like harsh spices and bitter peppermint thrown into the mix. I hate it so much, it's just the kind of thing that burns your nose and leaves you gasping for air or any other kind of thing to focus your senses on other than the stinking demon you're having to fight."

Kenja sighed, holding his book tighter in his hands. "Does this mean I'm going to have to fight with that scent clouding my mind?"

"Probably not." The kitsune replied. "My nose is so sensitive I can pick up on stuff like that, most demons can't identify the different scents of various demons or even the type they belong to. I guess I'm just cursed with the ability to sense all of this."

"What are you two doing? We have a demon out there!"

The fire duo turned to see who was yelling at them, both of them in shock when they realized that it was none other than Cheshire and Aislinn rushing down the hallways. The boys were quick to join up with the other two, Kenja looking to Aislinn who studied his face with a lopsided look. The blond hadn't taken enough time trying to get to know her or give her time to remember who he was. "Oh, I'm Kenja. I'm also part of the alliance, friends with Kimiko and part of the team she formed that's dedicated to stopping Xenolith."

The girl with scars nodded, not sure if she would be able to remember this for longer than the time she figured they would spend together as the both of them ran behind their partners who were outside rather quickly.

Kesai stumbled back as he set foot outside into the snow, covering his nose. "Ugh, just like I said. That rotting wood smell!"

Kenja sighed gently. "Well, that can't be helped, Kesai. Calm down, I need you to fight if we need to, not complain about the smell of a demon."

"Flynn?"

Unlike Kenja who went right to scolding his partner, Aislinn had decided to look ahead to see what was going on. Her eyes widening as she noticed the heterochromic teenager laying in the snow, his ankles had been slashed and now bleeding rather profusely into the snow that seemed rather fresh.

"What happened to you?" The girl with scars asked with a frown, taking a step closer to him. "It was the demon, wasn't it?"

Flynn then turned to look at the both of them, his eyes widening as his voice left his lips in a meek whisper that barely sounded like the Flynn Fukisa the both of them knew. "G-Get out of here…t-this is what she wants."

"What who wants?" Kenja asked as both of the demons cringed, their ears both seeming to flatten at the same time before perking up in the same directions.

"The…The…" Flynn grunting in pain, rubbing his ankles as he tried to sit up.

"I wouldn't do that, Mister Decoy." A rather sweet sounding female voice filling the air, beginning to giggle sharply, causing Cheshire to begin growling.

And from a swirl of snow, a young female demon appeared along with a bookreader. The demon had long lavender hair, the tips reaching her thin waist while the beautiful and well-kept locks naturally curled in a way that would make all girls jealous. Her eyes a cold aquamarine, staring them down with an attempt to be intimidating, which for a reason Kenja wasn't sure, she was. She wore a lavender blouse that was a bit lighter than her hair and dark jeans along with white sandals. She was taller than Cheshire and Kesai and she seemed to be much older as well, which only succeeded in making Kesai feel he would need to prove that younger and shorter people could do just as good.

The bookreader was a fully grown woman, unlike the teenagers or young adults the four were more used to fighting. She had dirty brown hair with cheaply done blond highlights that went down to her shoulders and pale skin. She wore a dark purple shirt with blue jeans and white tennis shoes with purple accents. However, the thing that Kenja and Aislinn noticed almost automatically were her hazel eyes.

They were completely empty, which meant that this woman was just another one of Xenolith's pawns, which meant that this demon was another enemy neither of them would have the patience to want to deal with.

"If you don't mind my asking, who are you?" Kenja taking a step forward, but still not getting close to Flynn who seemed to be wanting him to keep his distance from the suffering doctor in training.

"I'm Lavender and that over there is my bookreader Lulu." The demon giggling, taking a step closer to Flynn. "I work for Lord Xenolith."

"Yeah, we noticed." Kesai muttered. "Your bookreader being a little brainwashed kind of told us everything about who you work for and what kind of a person we should expect you to be."

"Oh, so you've started putting it all together without letting me have any fun?" Lavender pouted teasingly, causing Kesai's ears to droop at this almost flirtatious way of speaking to him. "Well, I guess there's no use in me playing around then."

Kenja placed his hand on the kitsune's shoulder, the child shockingly blushing as he watched Lavender very carefully. The female demon then smiling again, but this time all of the teasing from before was gone and replaced with what the sickly blond could only guess was pure evil. "I know about most of you, especially that you're all close or at least allied with the purple gem and his partner. This means that I could use you all to lure them out here and turn them in to Xenolith. But I have a feeling that you two won't go down without a fight, so let's make this a little more interesting."

Kesai and Cheshire both frowned as they watched Lavender walk over to where Flynn lay in the snow. She smiled in a cryptic way, stroking his blue hair for a moment. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, but the Lord figured that if anything, he could always replace the human he's been using as his means of information. He thanks you though for allowing him to see and learn all about what he's been desiring."

Hold on, what!?

Flynn looked up at Lavender in shock, trying to prop himself up only for the demon to shove him back into the fresh snow. "What do you mean, his means of information!?"

"Oh, well would you like to tell your friends about the voice in your head? About the random headaches, or how you would suddenly black out?" Lavender giggled, Flynn's face dropping as everything she said began to piece together. "Look at you, it's all starting to make sense now, isn't it?"

Flynn was frozen in shock and to be honest, so were Kenja and Aislinn. So, Xenolith really was using everybody on their team and somehow, they all allowed the Puppet Master to plague one of their friends and use him to learn everything he probably wanted and needed to know.

"Oh, just look at their faces!" Lavender laughed, moving so she now held the toes of Flynn's shoes. "Alright, Lulu, you know just what to do."

"Koori!"

Kenja's azure eyes grew wide. "What do you think you're doing!?" The kitsune he called his partner clenching his fists as his bookreader opened his orange spellbook.

"Oh calm down." Lavender said, rolling her eyes as she stood up and brushed snow off her jeans. She moved away from Flynn who shockingly, seemed perfectly fine. "See, no blood or anything."

"Then what did that spell do?" Cheshire growled, not able to think about anything but the evils she knew Lavender had just preformed.

"Ah, wanna see?" The ice demon giggling as she snapped her fingers, Flynn's eyes growing wide as he noticed ice begin to cover his feet. Lavender bursting into laughter once Flynn began to struggle in shock, panicking at the sight of his body being swallowed by ice. "This spell takes time, but soon enough, it'll swallow you up."

"Then I'll just burn it off him!" Kesai shouted, clenching his fists with his voice an irritated growl. Flynn was one of the few people he didn't only tolerate but managed to get along with. He didn't like the idea of the doctor in training being hurt because if anything, the conversations that he and Flynn had shared when Kenja was in the hospital were meaningful. And this meant that at minimum, he wouldn't let this person have to go through the painful process of being frozen alive.

"Oh, what a naïve little fox," Lavender taunted, giggling at the sight of Kesai's ears slightly drooping in humiliation. "If you do that, you'll only succeed in burning your friend, which is probably something he wouldn't appreciate. My ice can't be destroyed by just anything, I either have to will it or you have to defeat me in battle and burn my book."

Cheshire frowned. "That doesn't leave us with many options." Her claws then appearing from out of her front paws, just as sharp as ever. "But, this'll probably work well."

Kesai nodded as Kenja turned to Aislinn, drawing in a breath. "It looks like we're going to have to fight, weather we want to or not." The girl with scars nodding silently with understanding.

"So, I have a proposition for the both of you." Lavender said with a smile that showed careful plotting behind it. "It's very simple. For you to win, all you have to do is burn my book and send me back to demon world. Your friend will be saved from the ice and everything can go back to normal. However, there is a way for me to win. If your friend becomes engulfed in ice he'll only have so long before he's dead, but I can be a very generous demon. I'll spare your friend, release him from the ice and everything, but only if the four of you surrender and allow us to take you back to Xenolith's castle. From there you will become nothing but our decoys and a means of drawing out the purple gem and his bookreader. It probably won't be all that fun, but there is nothing more you will be able to do except honor this agreement and pledge you've made to Lord Xenolith.

"Now, do we have an agreement?"

Cheshire and Kesai exchanged looks, the both of them seeing the serious and understanding looks in the eyes of the other and nodding. They didn't need to banter or even speak to one another to know just what they both of them were wanting to do. In fact, they didn't even need to look at their readers, a common aura seemed to emanate from the group, and of course only one answer left the lips of every person facing Lavender.

"Agreed."


	22. Lavender's Blizzard

_Hey guys,_

_This has been an insanely hard week on me, so bear with me if I begin writing at a snails pace. I should be on 29, but I have only written the first 100 words of 27. Band has been kicking my butt, my confidence is at an all time low thanks to the words of others and my own inability to do certain tasks. Not to mention that my relationship is basically over, my boyfriend has been ignoring me recently and now that we finally got to talk for once, he left me confused and pretty sure he told me that he is no longer interested in me. Add the constant talk of my sixteenth that all my family members want to talk about and you have my difficult life right now._

_But I figured if anything, releasing a chapter of DBR and getting to read the kind reviews I get from you readers will bring a smile to my face and tears out of my eyes. So if anything, even though this chapter is somewhat late, this one comes with the love of a writer who wants nothing more than to write and please her readers. Please, do enjoy._

_xKiha_

* * *

Lavender giggled, folding her arms as she looked over the group. "Alright, then we have a deal." Turning to see the frozen feet of Flynn and only laughing louder. "Now, you really don't have a lot of time, so if I were you, I'd have that book open. Come on readers; don't just let your friend suffer."

Kenja drew in a breath as he turned to Aislinn, well when it came to his "fighting" ability, there wasn't much to rely on. "Since we're going to be fighting together, I hope you don't mind my asking in how many spells you have."

The girl with scars nodded. "We have five, but they're…interesting."

"Well, my partner and I have three," Kenja saying, knowing he needed to give her his number in all fairness. "However, only one of them is offensive."

"So, this isn't going to be easy."

"I don't think it will be."

Kesai turned to look at his partner, clenching his fists. "So, do you guys have a game plan yet or are we just going to talk while Flynn gets coated with ice?" The kitsune having no patience for people that weren't going to do certain things his way, this one being a major thing.

"The little fox is right, tick tock, tick tock." The ice demon taunted, making Kesai's blood boil.

Kenja drew in a breath. "If anything, we will have to come up with some kind of combination later, or at least after we've both managed to see one another's spells in action."

"Alright, I can work with that." Aislinn replied, glaring at Lavender coldly. She didn't know who this demon was, or even if she was supposed to, but whoever this little bitch was, she was going to destroy her if only so she would quit talking. Clenching her hands to her book before opening it, Kenja noticing this and doing the same.

Kesai looked to Cheshire, drawing in a breath. "I hope you have good attack spells, because I only have one that's an honest attack."

"Well," The snow leopard thinking over the five spells she had earned. "Only one of them is a real attack, but the other spells make it a lot easier to destroy an enemy without even needing an attack."

The kitsune's eyes widened in a bit of intimidation, Tsumi had graciously told him the story of his and Cheshire's first encounter, which made him all the more on edge when around her. It was obvious those two would probably never be friends, not when the poison demon feared her only as his attacker and the snow leopard held an obvious hatred for him, but did this mean that she would hate him as well? He couldn't be all that sure, but if anything, being forced to be partners in a fight like this would at least give him a clue of what their relationship would become and grow into.

"Alright, let's go." Kesai shouted, Kenja holding the orange book open, fingertips grazing the bright orange words he knew as his first spell.

"Hi-ken!"

Kesai tried to focus the speed he had on getting as close to Lavender as possible, flames shooting out of his hands similar to how a blowtorch or a flamethrower would have done it. The child focusing on her if only because he wanted this to end as soon as possible.

"How petty."

The kitsune's eyes widened in shock as Lavender dodged, using a backhand spring to send herself out of the way of the flames without even a slight singe. Her giggles loud and mocking as the kitsune continued to look at her in shock.

"H-He wasn't…fast enough?" Kenja blinking in shock, nobody was more nimble than Kesai. The kid could be everywhere and anywhere he wanted to with the kind of speed he had. And yet, she managed to dodge this spell?

"Just let us handle this." Cheshire growled, figuring if Kesai was going to suck, then he might as well be out of the way and sit on the sidelines while she took this fight.

Aislinn nodded, her own fingertips against one of the spells on her own book. "Nemasu!"

Just as it had been when the spell had been called back when Kimiko and Tsumi faced the sleep inducing duo, Cheshire's hands began to glow a gentle and soothing white. The kitsune and his partner watching the snow leopard's eyes narrow in focus as she then began sprinting forward on all fours to go after Lavender at her top speed. All she had to do was touch her forehead and then bam, all of this could be over in less than two minutes.

"Oh, what's this?" Lavender giggled, watching Cheshire race forward. "Is this a spell to cause some kind of status infliction?" Just by the look on her face, it was clear that the ice demon had no intention of taking any of this seriously, just continuing to giggle as the snow leopard got closer and closer to her.

Kenja drew in a breath, studying Lavender closely. '_I don't understand it, she's so unafraid of everything. An enemy is rushing at her with hate in her eyes and yet here she is, making jokes and taunting us. It's as if she thinks she's untouchable. Or maybe she's not thinking this, but she's aware of it. But if she's truly untouchable, then we are going to have more than one problem on our hands. And if she's only trying to stall, then I don't know if I can be so sure of our victory.'_

It didn't take all that long for Cheshire to get to where Lavender was, the leopard swatting at the ice demon only for her to dodge. And for the next few blows that Cheshire tried to land, she only came to the same result of the girl only taunting her and dodging. If anything the speed of this enemy was astounding, leaving the sleep inducing demon in complete awe and frustration.

"Well, I think it's a little obvious that something so psychical isn't going to work on me." The ice demon taunted as she continued to evade the glowing paws of her enemy. "Lulu, you know what to do."

"Tsurara."

Before having a chance to dodge herself, Cheshire was struck by a barrage to purple icicles, growling as she was stabbed by all of the little spears. It was rather painful, the snow leopard being sent back into the freshly fallen snow only because of the pain she was now put in.

"H'm, so looks like I was right again." Lavender smiled, but now instead of teasing it was rather clear that something had clicked in her brain. Now this evil, or rather, sadistic look began to own her eyes. "Now then, we might as well try to make this a little more interesting, now shouldn't we?"

"Yuki." Lulu's smooth and emotionless voice fleeing her lips as if psychic, knowing what this demon wanted even if she was unable to really communicate anything to anybody around her. But even so, she spoke the spell, if only because this would be the wish of Lavender and most likely, the command of Xenolith.

Kesai's ears went flat against his skull, the kitsune just watching Lavender for a moment. Nothing changed. Her hands weren't glowing or anything, the ground didn't seem to be concealing anything and well, nothing seemed to be wrong. "W-What did you do?"

Brace yourself.

Kenja began looking around to understand what had just happened, rubbing his hands against his biceps in an attempt to warm himself up. Suddenly he felt so cold, releasing a breath and watching as what he exhaled took on a smoke like texture. He wasn't crazy, was he? No, it got a lot colder, it had to have been.

And right as he realized this, something cold and wet landed on his nose. The blond blinking in shock as he tilted his head upwards to find just what he feared. Lavender had used this spell to drop the temperature to something a lot lower and along with this drop in climate, she brought a heavy snow.

"Like it?" The ice demon giggled, spinning around with her arms up as the two demons watching her growled with hatred. "But this isn't the extent of what I can do, either. This is only the beginning."

"This isn't good." Kenja muttered, biting at his lower lip only with frustration.

"Oh really, you think so?" Aislinn replied, her voice a bit snappy, which only made the sickly blond cringe thanks to the tone.

The girl with scars then turned her attention to Flynn, swallowing she found that his legs were now completely coated in ice. The doctor in training's breathing heavy as he tried to keep himself from going crazy or letting the hypothermia get to him. The idea of losing a limb thanks to what was happening to him now, well it was mortifying. He didn't want to look at either of the bookreaders, knowing that if they knew how frightened he was right then, it could only make them more nervous and therefore a little less focused on their enemy.

"Time's running out," Aislinn mumbled, the blond looking to their friend and nodding with growing fear. With almost half of his body now cloaked, they needed to do something and do it fast.

'_We need to think of something.' _Kenja's eyes squeezing shut with frustration before he nodded to himself, knowing he needed more time to think about what they were going to do next. "Nisemono!"

Kesai was rather stunned when this happened, but he placed his hands out in front of him even so. Why would Kenja pick this spell, was he really that desperate for time? The kitsune looking away as flames left his hands, but instead of flying forward like in his first spell, they began to form and create something.

In a mere matter of moments a Kyuubi made of orange and red flames was created, this sleek nine tailed fox only remaining still for a few moments before rushing forward. Just like the sleekness of the creature created would suggest, this mythological creature was amazingly fast, the part of the creature meant to be the eyes focused on Lavender.

"A fox literally on fire? Juvenile." The ice demon muttered, rushing to dodge the fox only to watch it spring in the opposite direction. Well this wasn't normal and there was no such thing as a defective spell, Lavender rushing towards the Kyuubi who was only seeming to rush in nonsensical directions.

"Alright, now we will have time to actually talk things over and come up with a plan."

Kenja turned to Aislinn and Cheshire with a more serious look in his eyes, not even needing to glance on the spell that he and Kesai had just put into play.

"What makes you say that?" Cheshire asked, watching the Kyuubi's random movements with fascination.

"Well, the fire fox we just created, is nothing more than a distraction spell." Kesai replied, smirking as he tried to keep himself from shivering. "The Nisemono spell isn't dangerous, it's just there to confuse your enemy and maybe waste some of their heart energy. That's why the Kyuubi's just running around, because that's really all it does."

Although this honestly was nothing exciting or even very interesting, neither of the girls could really say that this wasn't very useful. Not when it kept Lavender focused solely on the Kyuubi instead of them. Aislinn growling under her breath. "Well, this demon's fast, which is a problem because that means we can't put her to sleep."

"And we only have one spell left." Kenja replied with a sigh, looking to Kesai who nodded. Oh joy, the second spell.

"And what does it do?" Cheshire asked, knowing that any spell could be crucial.

The kitsune laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "The second spell, it creates a fire ring around any demons I want and that includes me. I can make the ring as big as I want, but it basically seals you off from your bookreader and leaves you to fight on your own in a sort of hand to hand style."

"If only she wasn't so damn fast." Cheshire muttered. "I'm sure I could take her hand to hand with just my claws if she was just a bit slower."

"Don't count me out." Kesai replied, smirking. "I'm very good when an enemy and I are fighting with our fists. I never loose when spells aren't involved trust me."

"Then all we need to do is take down her legs."

The two demons along with Aislinn turned to look at Kenja, the boy having a look in his eyes that told everybody he was thinking very hard about what he was about to say. "All we need is a decoy and an attacker. Aislinn, you said you had one offensive move, right?"

"Yes, I have one attack spell."

"Good, and Cheshire, how accurate would you say you are when you use this spell?"

The snow leopard only had to think for a moment. "As long as whoever I'm fighting isn't freaky fast like there, I almost never miss."

The blond nodded, his azure eyes looking over Kesai who swallowed when he began to put everything together along with the girls. "Well good, because Kesai and I are going to be decoys and while she's distracted you and Aislinn are going to strike her legs. Once she no longer has her speed, I'm sure we can rely on you two to take her down in a hand to hand fight."

Cheshire smirked, they could just put Lavender to sleep, but since she had been so annoying, destroying her with her own two hands would be so much more fun. "Sounds like a plan."

"That was a decoy, _wasn't it_?"

The four turned to find Lavender now standing before them again, her eyes seeming to be bloodshot as she clenched her fists. "That spell was nothing but a decoy so you could all talk, wasn't it!"

"Yeah, that's all it was." Kesai nodded, sticking out his tongue. If he was going to be a decoy, he was going to be a decoy.

Right away he had all of Lavender's attention on him, the kitsune winking to the sleep inducing duo who knew they had to slip away now.

"Lulu! The fourth spell, it's time to show them that I can do more than just make it cold!" Lavender shouted, paying no mind to Cheshire and Aislinn, instead solely focusing on Kesai who continued to childishly taunt her, which was doing nothing but succeed.

"Ooyuki."

The fire duo braced themselves for anything, watching the ice demon raise both of the arms and close her eyes with concentration. In a matter of moments, the cold winds began to get harsher and snow began to swirl everywhere in a harsh screen. Kenja covering his eyes in an attempt to keep the snow out of them, Kesai shivering as the snow began to cling to his hair along with the fur on his ears and tail.

"Do you like my snowstorm?" Lavender giggled sadistically. "Let's see you focus now that snow's all over the place. You'll soon find yourself both unable to see and shivering so bad from the cold winds and snow that you won't even be able to read your book or dodge an attack."

Kesai bit into his lip. "This won't break us, it's just snow."

"Don't you get it!" The ice demon shouted. "This is it! We're going to take you down because you're nothing. You guys were nothing but pawns in our game, weaklings we let stay in this fight because of what we knew we could gain from you being around. You can't handle yourselves, we've been throwing curveballs at you this entire time to test you because we know that you couldn't take on the real fight on your own. Without us, you never would have been able to get as far as you have. "

Kenja glanced at Flynn, the ice was now up to his ribcage, the blond swallowing. Come on, they could do this! "You're wrong Lavender."

"Oh and how is that?"

"Because, just like the purple gem and his bookreader, we have the determination to survive and keep going forward. Maybe it's nothing but a fluke, but we're too stubborn to let ourselves fall so early in this fight. Sometimes I don't think we're worth it, but if we're willing to cling to whatever hope we have of surviving in this demon battle, I think that at least says something about our character and the strength we really have. And if you and Xenolith are willing to see us as nothing but pawns, then that is solely your fault because we are much more. My partner and I have been fighting to keep him in this game so he could become a king of protection since day one, since before I ever met Kimiko or Tsumi and before I became involved with Xenolith. I think this at least gives you an idea of who we are and what you really are facing here."

Lavender only giggled, finding this speech nothing but a riot. "Seriously? You're going to go on about partnership and character at a time like this! None of that stuff is real, it's all about survival of the fittest in a fight like this!"

Kesai clenched his fists, he needed her to stay still, which meant he wasn't allowed to send his fist so hard into her solar plexus that she's vomit out her spleen. "Well, then you're just wrong."

Lavender giggled, looking over the kitsune with a mocking glower. She opened her mouth to speak, but by the time her mouth was open, she was on the ground.

From where she had stood, Aislinn held the white book in her hands, her voice a soft whisper. "Yumburisu."

Almost automatically all twenty of Cheshire's digits were enveloped in their own tiny orb of white, the snow leopard focusing on the legs of the ice demon. She had no doubts that she would hit her mark, two of the orbs being thrown and in a mere instant; they struck the back of Lavender's thighs.

"Nice one!" Kesai's voice a loud laugh while the ice demon hit the snow, causing Kenja to sigh with relief. At least for now, everything was going according to plans. Now for stage two as he liked to think about it.

"How dare you!"

Kesai turned, his celebration halting when he saw Lavender forcing herself to sit up in the snow, her aquamarine eyes bloodshot. The ice demon was shaking with anger, earning all eyes on her as she spoke in a cold as ice tone. "Another dirty trick from you rats! That's it! The weather is going to really hurt you now!"

The sickly blond swallowed, turning to see the pale Flynn. The ice was almost up to his shoulders, the doctor in training shaking violently with what Kenja could only guess was hypothermia. They really were running out of time.

"Fubuki."

All four cringed at the sounds of Lulu's voice leaving her lips, Lavender bursting into giggles while the freezing winds began to pick up. The clouds began dropping snow and freezing rain and the violent winds were causing all of it to swirl around and envelope them.

"Welcome to my blizzard," Kenja feeling himself stumble back, his own heart beginning to pound madly. The doctor warned him about being out in the cold too long, but now was the time to fight. "I might not be fast now, but I doubt you'll be able to see me when you have snow blanketing and blinding you."

Kesai turned to look at his bookreader, biting into his lip at the sight of a pale face and reddening cheeks. "Kenja-"

"I'm fine, Kesai."

The kitsune's ears lowered. "I was going to ask you to read the second spell."

The sickly blond blinked, feeling the fool as he tried to shield his eyes from the below zero temperatures and the freezing rain and snow. "O-Oh, of course." Turning to Aislinn and Cheshire and getting a nod of approval from the both of them. "Here we go, the second spell, Furemingu!"

Kesai drew in a deep breath, motioning for Cheshire to stand beside him which she promptly did. The fire demon had to focus all of his energy as the earth from under them began to shudder, Lavender gasping as she began to look around with surprise. In a matter of seconds, a powerful ring of flames around fifteen feet tall was created, trapping the three demons inside while the bookreaders along with Flynn were all left on the outside.

The kitsune cracked his knuckles. "There we go, now your bookreader can't help you at all."

Although she was rather mortified, the ice demon laughed nervously, never losing her cold tone. "I don't need her for now; I doubt you'll be able to see me in this weather. Look, you can barely keep your eyes open as we speak."

"Maybe not," Kesai closing his green eyes tightly. "But, I can smell you from here."

Cheshire smirked, never before had she felt so grateful to have a partner in a fight like this. Maybe not everybody would be so useless to her. "And being a snow leopard, I won't have any problems with this weather; my body was built to face these kinds of conditions."

Lavender forced herself onto her feet, shaking her head and trying to step back only to hiss in pain thanks to the injuries on her legs. "Wait! You're not seriously going to fight this dirty, are you?!"

Kesai snickered, taking a step closer to her with his eyes still tightly shut, her scent allowing him to pinpoint her location. Ugh, rotting wood and peppermint. "Of course we are, there's nothing in the rule book that says hand to hand fighting is wrong." The kitsune cracking his knuckles once again, but this time just to make her cringe. "And now, we're fighting my way."

The ice demon drew in a suddenly scared breath, not all that sure why she was suddenly so afraid of these two as Cheshire smirked, she had eighteen more of her dream spheres. That would be more than enough.

"Let's do this quick, we don't have a lot of time." Kesai said, voice rushed with the thoughts of Flynn and Kenja. Both of the animal demons nodding before rushing at Lavender, who barricaded in by walls of flames, had to force herself to rush at them as well.

The snow leopard was quick to throw another Yumburisu sphere at the ice demon who was able to dodge this time only to receive a foot in the stomach courtesy of Kesai. She was sent into the freshly fallen snow, sitting up in disorientation only to be struck with a dream sphere in the back, the ice demon coughing up blood and struggling to her feet.

"It's funny, time should be up very soon. This might be all for nothing." Blood dribbling down Lavender's chin, voice still holding the taunt she had before. "Wouldn't it be a shame if you lost even though we're here now?

"Or then again, the blond from before looked like he was losing energy pretty quickly. Maybe the cold's about to take him and rip him inside out. Maybe we'll get to find out what happens to a demon when their bookreader dies in battle and leaves them all on their ow-"

"_SHUT UP!"_

Kesai had never screamed like this before, but with his entire body shaking with rage it was the only way he could let all of this hate out. His fist had ended up in her chin without him even knowing it, the ferocity and hate in this one punch sending her back and into the wall of flames. It wasn't until the screams of Lavender reverberated through the area that he was snapped out of his senses, gasping as the flames began to die down.

"Kesai?" Cheshire looking at her partner who only now opened his green eyes, the kitsune breathing heavily. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." He whispered, then watching all the flames die down and turning to look for their enemy.

"Did they do it?" Aislinn suddenly asked, noting that the arena was now completely gone.

Kenja tried to look around to find anybody, hoping that he could get a good look at his partner. "I'm not sure, but judging by Lavender's scream, the odds are probably in our favor."

The sleep inducing demon and the fire kitsune both walked in the direction of the ice demon's scent, finding Lavender now covered in blood and burns lying in the snow. The blizzard around them beginning to die down thanks to the weakness of the demon who had caused this weather change. "Just do it now." Her voice weak and growling.

Kesai turned to see Flynn, seeing that the ice was up to the doctor's chin and that he seemed to be passed out. Hopefully it wasn't anything too major, because if they lost Flynn now, then he'd really be after the blood of the Puppet Master. "Cheshire, how about you do the honors."

"Gladly," The snow leopard nodded, throwing another of the dream spheres at the spellbook in the motionless Lulu's hands, the woman dropping the book only after it was struck and began burning. Lavender laying on her back and giggling through her pain. "At least, it was a good fight. If I had been taken out in any way that could be considered pathetic, I may have had to kill myself."

"Well, then be grateful for what we did." Kesai growled before realizing it was all over and beginning to smirk instead. "Because, even when we meet again in demon world, I'll always be able to kick your butt."

"The both of us will." Cheshire added, causing the kitsune to begin to laugh at her inclusion.

"Course the both of us."

Lavender rolled her eyes, by now most of her body had faded into those small sparkles. "I guess we'll have to see about that, but with Lord Xenolith still after you, I doubt you'll outlast me by too long." The ice demon fading before either of the demons got to say anything in retort. Well, luckily all of this was now over with.

Hold on a second.

Flynn!

It was then that all the snow and winds vanished and the temperature returned to normal, the four rushing to their friend who was once incased in ice. He was out like a light, but his heart was still beating, just a bit slower than normal. Kenja drawing in a breath, coughing harshly before finding his words with a small voice. "Well, it seems that he'll be okay, but we're still going to have to get him to the hospital to make sure that he makes a full recovery."

"Thank god." Aislinn replied, sitting down in the snow. "I was worried he'd die."

"I don't think we're going to have to worry about that anymore." The sickly blond replied, the look on his face telling her that he was just as relieved as she was.

"Kenja! Aislinn!"

Both of the exhausted teenagers turned to see Yukio Kincad fleeing the school and rushing towards them, his eyes wide as he ran through the snow. "I heard the screaming and I came running, dear god, are you all okay!?"

The man stopped as he got a look at the two teams and Flynn, drawing in a sharp breath as he realized what they must have all been through without his knowledge.

"I better get you all to the hospital and quickly."


	23. An Understanding King

_Hey Guys,_

_Sorry to bring more somewhat bad news, but I still have not finished chapter 27. I am more or less halfway finished with it, but since things have gotten harder in my life it just couldn't find time. My boyfriend and I broke up on Saturday which left me a little heartbroken and emotional for the rest of the weekend. And this was when I planned on finishing 27, but instead left it with 1,500 words instead of being finished. However, I don't see the need in dwelling on that anymore._

_This chapter was basically my need to give Tsumi an honest to god reason to want kinghood. You see, before his only motivation was survival and to protect Kimiko, but that was too flat for a protagonist, let alone main demon. So in this chapter, we get to see what motivation he carries. Not to mention that I wrote and finished this story the day before I came home from my three week vacation, wow that feels like so long ago now. But anyways, I'm a little fond of this chapter if only because it has development of Tsumi and Kimiko and gives us more time with Yukio and Icarus, who I have sort of bonded with._

_Oh and PS, if you can tell me where I got the name Kincad from, you win a cookie!_

_But for now I need to go and get some sleep. We finally start learning drill for MB tomorrow and I can't wait to see what spots I have. So, enjoy the next chapter of DBR!_

_xKiha_

* * *

"Are you all okay!?"

The sound of Kimiko Isahowa's voice, well there was nothing like it. But even though it wasn't an annoying voice, the sound of her yelling when she rushed into a small medical ward containing three bookreaders and their demons along with Flynn Fukisa wasn't all that welcome.

The brunette drew in a breath as she stood in front of the now ajar door, smiling when she saw everybody was at least doing well. Sure Mr. Kincad had told her that, but she wasn't willing to believe it until she saw them all okay with her own two eyes.

"Yes, we're all doing fine." Kenja warmly said, finding it rather easy to accept that Kimiko would just burst into the area like this. It came with the package he figured.

The poison bookreader smiled softly as she walked into the room, soon being joined by a breathless Kyo Yakage along with Amera and Tsumi. This of course informing the hospital patients that Kimiko had more or less rushed to get here.

"Kyo's here too?" Kesai asked, turning around from the window he had been looking out of before, focused on the scent of this person he was willing to see as a friend.

"Yeah, I'm here." Kyo replied, now able to catch his breath. "She and Tsumi were helping us with moving the last of my stuff into the new apartment when Kimi got the call and well, I think you can guess what happened from there." The teenager laughing gently, his light green eyes shining to show that he didn't mind being dragged here too much.

Kimiko blushed with slight embarrassment, giggling nervously. "Sorry about dragging you here, Kyo, but I couldn't stick around after Mr. Kincad gave me that call. And since you're part this alliance and everything, I figured you wouldn't mind too much."

"Nah, it's cool, I don't mind at all."

The brunette gave him a gentle smile of gratitude, walking further in the room only to remember what she had really come here to do. It was Flynn everybody was talking about, that the doctor in training had been hurt in a demon battle. For a few moments her hazel eyes darted around the room, the girl biting at her lower lip before she drew in a breath.

Bingo.

Tsumi seemed to know just what the girl was thinking, following behind her as she walked over to Flynn's bedside. He was well, important, being the only doctor the bookreaders could take children like Kesai to. The idea of a doctor trying to remove the "cosplay" ears from the fire kitsune only to find them attached and more than functional was pretty scary, Before you'd know it you could have the government trying to preform tests on the demon children. Well, thank the lord for a teenager like Flynn.

His face was rather pale, his cheeks having slight color. Beads of sweat had culminated on his forehead, his eyes scrunched in a way that alerted the girl to the fact that he was in pain. He seemed to have an electric blanket covering his body which only made the girl all the more curious as to what could have happened when she was gone.

"He's going to be okay. The doctor just told us that his body was in a bit of shock, but he should be able to get out of here by Sunday." Cheshire said, sitting on Aislinn's bedside.

Kimiko's teeth dug a bit further into the flesh of her lower lip, nodding. Today was Friday, so that wouldn't be too bad. "Alright." The girl then turning to look at Aislinn, Kenja and Yukio. "And how about the three of you?"

"We're doing well." Kenja said gently, coughing gently into his hand. "If anything, we just needed a warm bath." Aislinn nodding as that was basically what they had received, now just having to spend a few hours at the hospital so the doctors could "observe" them.

"Icarus and I missed the fight," Kincad said simply, the angel sitting beside him seeming to be disappointed about missing the fight. "We came in the aftermath and ended up being the ride to the hospital."

"If you ask me, that was a crucial part." Kesai mumbled. "Can you imagine us trying to drag Flynn to the hospital with our bookreaders still shaking like they were?"

The teacher laughed, eyes bright with amusement. "I guess you're right."

Tsumi looked over Flynn, sighing as the question he didn't want to ask finally left his lips with his back to the team. "So, the person who attacked you…?"

"Yes," Kenja's voice apologetic. "She worked for Xenolith."

"She wanted to get to me…didn't she?"

"…Yes."

He had known the answer from the beginning, but now hearing it from one of his friends managed to make the statement all the more painful. Once again it was all his fault; people were suffering because he was around. Because _he _was this purple gem that Xenolith was looking for. His friends, people that were willing to fight alongside him, were getting hurt because these brainwashed minions were only looking to get to him or lure him out.

He hated this so much, hated being liable and the reason fellow demons and humans had to dedicate time and effort to this cause. This was all his fault. He didn't know why this identity had become his, but there was a reason Xenolith wanted him and whatever it was, it was the reason why he was the cause of his bookreader's and friend's suffering.

"Tsumi?" Kimiko's voice suddenly breaking through the thick thought barrier he had been consumed with, voice full of maternal worry. "Are you doing okay?"

His big purple eyes looked up at her for only a second before darting off to look at everybody in the room, today people had gotten hurt because of him and soon enough everybody else would get hurt weather he was there to help or not. The poison demon shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind of all these bad thoughts before everything suddenly went blank, one black thought attempting to answer this crisis. "Kimiko?"

"Yes?" The teenager noticing how blank and unresponsive the child now seemed, swallowing nervously. "What is it, Tsu?"

"I just need to turn myself in." His partner's eyes wide with shock the moment he softly spoke these words. "Everybody's getting hurt and it's all because they want me. So if I'm gone, nobody can get hurt anymore and we wouldn't have to go to his castle for answers. Xenolith probably wouldn't even be our enemy anymore"

The brunette looked up at all of her friends, hazel eyes desperate for help or at least something reassuring to say instead of the 'hell no, we have to fight, giving up is for quitters' that was trying its hardest to come out.

However, it seemed that nobody had something to say, everybody else just as surprised at Kimi right then. They all knew that his heart was in the right place when he said that, but it also just didn't seem to be an option at this point. They knew that Xenolith wanted the little poison orphan but why? Since only Aislinn and Cheshire had gotten to see Kimiko and Tsumi in honest action with all four spells, the idea of just what power Tsumi really had was pretty ambiguous. Was he some kind of super weapon or killer? Well, nobody knew and it seemed that neither did Tsumi. In the end nobody knew what the honor of being the purple gem really meant.

"Kimiko, Tsumi, let's go for a walk."

It was Yukio Kincad who broke the silence, the man grabbing his jacket after getting out of his chair. Icarus quick to lock onto what the teacher was trying to do as he moved away from the window and took his place beside his partner. "Alright, let's do it."

Kimiko bit into her lip, nodding as she motioned to Tsumi who blinked harshly as if coming to his senses before lowering his head. "Oh, a walk. Okay."

Kincad gave them both a reassuring smile, knowing it was beginning to get late but figuring if anything he could probably drop her off at home during the walk. "Good, then let's get going."

"Uh, Kimiko?" The brunette turning to see Kyo, the raven haired teen a bit nervous about being left with the others who he still didn't know too well thanks to living back in Sendai. "Should I just be waiting here to walk you home later?"

The poison bookreader went to say something only for Kincad to interject. "It's fine, I should be able to take her home during our walk."

Kyo's light green eyes quickly diverted, nodding slowly only because he knew he had to at least respond. "Oh, well alright. I guess I'll be seeing you soon then."

The girl gave him a slight smile, not any happier than he was. "Yeah, I'll be seeing you soon."

"So, shall we?" Kincad opening the hospital door as the two demons slipped out of the hospital room, the teenage girl looking over her friends once more before leaving the others behind to go on a walk to talk about something she still didn't like thinking about.

.

.

.

"You already know what I want to talk about, don't you?"

By now the sun was beginning to set and the sky had taken on an orange and pink color, the city park covered in old snow and dirty ice. Kimiko was unable to look at her teacher, her hazel eyes fixed on Tsumi and Icarus who were walking a bit faster than the both of them. "Yeah, I know."

The teacher let out a soft sigh, his hands in his pockets. "I know it's scary when you think about it, but sometimes, these things just happen. We don't know why we go from innocent to desired, or why our life can be changed so much by something simple like a book. But, there is nothing we can do about it except keep moving forward."

The brunette stopped dead in her tracks, Yukio turning to face his student who lowered her head, trying to suppress her emotions. "But, it's not fair. Why do we have to go through this! Tsumi and I have never met Xenolith! He just has gone after us since our first real fight, we've never done anything to ask for this. He's an innocent, but now he has this guilt and burden to carry."

"Kimiko, sometimes when bad things happen, it's never your fault. But, just because it's not in your hands does not mean that you can't become involved or pay some kind of a pri-"

"But we're innocent!" Kimiko suddenly shouted, feeling a blur of tears begin to fill her eyes thanks to the frustration now overtaking her thanks to the words of Yukio. "In the beginning, Tsumi didn't even want to fight! He ran away from all of this because he was afraid of hurting me and others!"

By now Tsumi and Icarus were looking at the teacher and his student, the poison demon stunned to see his bookreader crying while the angel walked over to them both. "Our current king, he never wanted to fight when he was first sent to the human world either."

The brunette lifted her head, looking down at the holy demon with a light sniffle. "What?"

Icarus gave her a gentle look, nodding to Kincad as if to tell him that being the wise angel he was, he knew just how to handle this situation. "Gash Bell, he's been the king of the demon world for quite a while, a wonderful and benevolent man, but when he was first sent to your world, he was a peaceful coward. His brother wiped little Gash of all of his memories and the blond headed kid was left all on his own, not even sure of what his book did. Even when he managed to find his partner and figure out what his spellbook was meant for, Gash still wasn't the kind of guy who wanted to fight for a battle he only saw as barbaric."

Kimiko was listening to and holding onto every word, nodding slowly as she wiped her eyes in an attempt to rid all of her tears. "What changed his mind?"

"Motivation." Icarus said simply. "He was forced to burn the book of a suffering friend who had been forced to fight. He didn't want to do it, but she had begged and pleaded it of him and his bookreader made the choice to give this girl her wish. Gash was more or less haunted by this memory, which gave him all the motivation he needed.

"After seeing somebody suffer like this friend did and realizing the corruption that the demon battles had, Gash decided that he wanted to be the king. But not just any king, he wanted to be a kind king. A king that listened and understood, who knew not to force any demon to do anything against their will. And you know what? For all the time that we've been able to call him our ruler, he's been true to that. He's been a wonderful king and undoubtedly a kind man. And believe me when I say that just like you two are right now, he had to suffer to get where he ended up at well. However, he only got to where he is now because of the dream he had and how it pushed him forward."

By this time Kimiko was no longer crying, the brunette drawing in a breath. "So, looks like Tsumi is living similar to how Gash did."

Icarus gave her a gentle smile in return, nodding. "It's not identical, but they're a little similar when you place them side by side. Kind of like a spin off with a twist, if you will."

Tsumi had taken the time to walk back to the others and had managed to catch a majority of the angel's speech, now finding himself sniffling as well if only because of the stress of this all and a realization that maybe this was all meant to happen. Suddenly, he felt that he might be able to understand why he was sent here, why he became one of the one hundred demons when there were a few tough children turned away when he took their place.

"So, that only leaves one question."

The ocean eyes of Icarus then fell on Tsumi, the angel knowing not to think anything of the crying poison demon. He knew that if he was the one in this situation, he would be suffering as well. This burden however, seemed to be one that this child would have to carry and his alone. Something was just too different about this time and weather he liked it or not, he could only bring himself to the conclusion that in the end, this would be on Tsumi's shoulders.

"And what is that?" The sniffling demon asked, afraid to look at Kimiko only because he was worried about upsetting her.

"Well, you need to decide what kind of a king you would want to be."

And then all Tsumi could do was look at his bookreader, seeing that her own hazel eyes were on him with understanding sympathy and upset. She couldn't answer this question, but he could and the both of them knew this. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do. You only need to think a little further than you are."

The poison demon continued to look up at Kimiko, biting into his lip. He understood everything now, he was sure of it. Gash sent him here to learn and understand, to help him associate himself with strangers and develop trust with people that he could call his friends. He wanted to help him understand who he was, so the child could finally have more of an identity instead of just being a lowly orphan with nowhere to go. This king wanted to make sure that this child understood that he could make his own identity, that he wasn't that orphan or this purple gem, but he was what his friends and partner saw him for. He wanted that, he earned that and now that he put thought to it; he had wanted it more than anything since he was a street child.

"I want…" Tsumi sniffling, tears beginning to well up as everything became to clear. "I want to be an understanding King! I want people to know who they are and that they make themselves that! I want everybody around me to be able to see me as a friend and know I care about them, even if I'm the one on the throne! I want to help other people with their identities, show them their worth! That way they won't have to suffer, they won't have to spend time wondering who they really are and why they were brought into this world!"

All eyes were suddenly on Tsumi, the poison demon crying rather hard. They all knew he had released a lot of his past struggles to all of them. If anything, he wanted to be this kind of a king to protect children who were in his situation. He must have been the one to feel worthless and the child to wonder about his identity as he was growing up. As an orphan, he had probably wanted and needed an understanding king, which meant becoming one would probably be very dear to his heart.

Suddenly a hand was placed on Tsumi's shoulder, the little boy looking up to see Kimiko smiling to him. She bent down, ruffling his hair in a motherly fashion before beginning to dry his heavy tears. "Do you know who you are, Tsumi?"

"N-No." The poison demon said through his soft sobs.

"You're my partner." The brunette said gently. "And if that doesn't mean something to you, then I'm not sure anything will." Tsumi opening his purple eyes while tears continued to stream down his face in a rather heavy flow. "Sure, we've only known each other for a few months, but that doesn't I haven't figured out who you are. You're a tough kid and even when you're afraid, you're willing to put your life on the line to protect others. We all know you have weaknesses, but there isn't a person in the world who doesn't, and that includes Xenolith and Gash. I know that it must have been hard growing up in demon world without your parents and I get that I'll never be able to fully understand what it would be like to grow up in your shoes. But just because you don't know the two people responsible for your existence doesn't mean that you're a nobody, being without parents doesn't take anything away from your character and it never will. You're my partner in this fight and I'm the only one who can read your book, we have spiritual ties to one another that neither of us really know anything about. But if anything, doesn't being my partner give you an identity?"

Kimiko's partner? The child biting into his lip as he tried to stop all of the heavy tears. "You're partner, that's who I am." Rubbing his eyes, sniffling with his attempts to calm himself down. "You guys, my bookreader and everybody that's part of our alliance, you guys help make me who I am."

The brunette smiled, pulling him close as she began to sniffle as well. "Of course we do and soon enough, you'll be able to learn who you are. We'll teach you, by seeing through our eyes. I promise."

With that, the two began to cry in each other's arms, but this time it wasn't because either felt that they betrayed one another, but because they were somewhat closer. Because now they had more of a reason to be partners, to fight together and to really learn why they had been chosen to be a team in this demon battle.

They finally had a reason to grow stronger.

Kincad looked to Icarus, the wise young angel smiling gently with a somewhat of a know it all look in his ocean eyes. The teacher placed his hand on his partner's shoulder, palm gentle on the child's skin. "You've done very good, Icarus. Obviously, I should be leaving all of the emotional speeches to the holy demons."

"Of course you should, Yukio." The angel replied, smiling gently. "But this one was a freebie, because we need these two to be ready to fight when the times come. Something tells me that we're going to have to rely on them when we get to Xenolith."

By now Icarus's smile had faded, Kincad's hand grazing his bag as the man lowered his gaze. "Are you worried that Hyoketsu won't be strong enough? Or that I won't be in the right place to use Jajjimento?"

"No," The holy demon's eyes lowered. "I'm not worried about us not being in the condition to fight, something is warning me that those two are going to be our only hopes in the end."

"So, are you worried about…?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that I won't be walking out of that castle."

.

.

.

"Anyways, thank you so much for everything you did, Mr. Kincad, Icarus."

Both Kimiko and Tsumi bowed in respect towards the teacher and the angel, cheeks still lightly sparkling with dried tears. They had been walked back to the Isahowa residence right as it had become rather dark, stars already out and shimmering. Now calmed down and ready to be home, they both knew that they had to be grateful towards the both of them.

"Now now, no need." Kincad holding out a single hand to inform the both to stand up straight. "I am sure you would have done the same for any members of your team."

"Of course, but you really helped us out." Kimiko smiled, now looking into her teacher's eyes instead of at the ground. "We never really thought about why we were fighting, but all of a sudden there is an actual goal here. It was long overdue, but now that we have an idea of why Tsumi should fight to be the king, there's a reason for us to fight Xenolith and to learn what being the purple gem means."

Tsumi nodded. "Knowing that I'd like to be an understanding King, a man like Gash, it helps zap away the feeling to run away or give up because I'm being targeted. I want to confront Xenolith now, more than anything else."

Icarus smirked, unfurling his wings with a stretch. "Good, because a fighter without motivation, won't be able to fight as valiantly. You won't have as much strength as a fighter with a reason to keep going on. As long as you remember this goal of yours, you'll find yourself a lot stronger and a lot more willing to push on."

"And that's why I'm grateful." The poison demon nodded, smiling even still. Just with this one realization, he felt so much stronger. He didn't even need to ask Kimiko if she was going through this too, he could basically sense this sudden strength in her and little to say, it was wonderful. Of course he wanted to be stronger, but only if he could get stronger along with his partner.

Yukio lifted a hand once more, but this time in a motionless wave. "Well, we should probably begin discussing plans for our next move soon, we shouldn't dawdle when we have an enemy like Xenolith looming over our heads."

"Of course not." Kimiko nodded. "I guess I'll be seeing you during the weekend then, right?"

"Naturally."

"Well, thank you for everything once again." The brunette smiled, lifting her hand in return while Tsumi stood with his back erect beside her.

The holy duo nodded, giving her gentle smiles before turning their backs to the poison duo and beginning to walk down the streets. The street lamps providing enough light to allow the two to watch the teacher and the angel walk until they faded into tiny shadows.

Kimiko then turned to Tsumi, her hazel eyes soft. "So, we should probably get some rest. Things aren't going to be easy anymore, especially if we're going to beat Xenolith and then make you a king.

An excited smile and a glimmer of excitement filled purple eyes.

"Yeah."


	24. The Alliance Completed

_Hey guys,_

_I know, I know, I haven't updated in a while and this is probably the longest I have gone without updating in a long time, but with life being as crazy as it is and with school starting for me on Monday and my birthday being on Wednesday I have had no time to breathe. Not to mention band had me always on my toes and then shopping to get ready for a new school year. Well, I haven't gotten anything in the writing department done at all but well, I am hoping to change that._

_And thank you for all the support after my boyfriend and I split, it was really touching to see how kind you all were even though I'm a stranger. I'm doing a lot better now and well, I'm back to my normal self. But still, it was really sweet of you all to offer shoulders and try to do your bests to help a girl out._

_And now, here comes something embarrassing. I know a few of you tried to figure out Kincad's origin, but well I realized a while after that there was no way you could have. Kincad was what my sister and I used to call Professor Kincaid from the Pokémon Ranger series, probably because we thought it sounded better as 'kin-cad' instead of 'kin-caid'. Silly me, but in the end for trying to figure out something you couldn't have known, cookies for everybody!_

_Anyways, I have a paper for history I need to finish up and then off to some writing for this story! Enjoy this chapter and believe me when I tell you that this is the first chapter with the horror movie elements Xenolith inspired me to write during his arc. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, after all, who doesn't enjoy a bit of darkness when a villain is looming over the unaware heads of our protagonists? The answer is nobody doesn't enjoy it, believe me._

_xKiha_

* * *

"_Although you do not like it, even though your will is strong, you will bow to me."_

_Kimiko gasped for air, feeing thin fingers begin to run up her throat which by now was garnished in goose bumps. Her hazel eyes slowly opening, unable to see anything in front of her except white walls that were holding her captive. The brunette gasping when she began to feel the warm exhaling of something, or rather somebody. Whoever was talking, they were behind her and she couldn't be sure if they were going to strangle her or not._

"_W-Who are you?" She stammered, feeling another set of fingers begin to comb themselves through her long brown hair. _

"_You don't remember me?" The voice asked, the thin digits on her neck stroking her skin. "We have never met, but you do know quite a bit about me." And as this statement left the person's lips, the voice took on a cold and sinister tone that only made Kimiko gasp._

"_You're…you're!"_

"_Why yes, I am." The fingers on her neck then gripping onto thin flesh, making the poison bookreader gasp in pain. "But, it's all the better when you scream my name."_

_It was right after he told her he wanted to hear her scream that his nails dug into her skin, Kimiko's hazel eyes filling with tears as the warm feeling of blood began to dribble down her neck. "N-No, please!"_

"_Scream my name! SCREAM IT!"_

_His vice grip on her throat became all the stronger, causing Kimi to begin to wonder if this demon was tearing open her flesh, or even worse, if he was tearing it off. "X-Xenolith!"_

_Right away the nails left her skin, a powerful foot kicking the girl onto the cold white cement floor with a wet thud. This couldn't be real, could it? The pain surging through the teenager felt so real, her hands covering her slashed throat while blood began to stain her hands, clothes and the floor under her. She couldn't even sit up, only able to cry in shock and pain as she lay on the freezing ground._

"_Oh, what a shame, my blossom is already on the floor." The cold voice of the demon resonating through the room. "Don't tell me this is really how weak you are, I expected more of you. Especially after unlocking Zunsapen and being able to bring forth the serpent like you have."_

"_What the hell do you want with us?" Kimiko cried, her voice managing to be hateful even though she was still sobbing in pain. "We never did anything to you!" Her hands trying to stop the violent bleeding from the cuts on her throat, but everything she was trying was unable to stop the blood from flowing._

"_You haven't done anything, at least not intentionally." The demon replied, Kimiko too weak to look up at him, but after managing to see his shadow and was stunned to learn that he was sitting with his legs folded in but well, he was floating. She didn't know why, but something about the ability to sit in mid-air and have an honest to god conversation with his enemy, only made her more afraid._

"_What does that even mean?"_

"_It means that I have always only been after your partner, you just happened to become involved with my affairs when you began reading his spells. It's merely a bad draw, nothing you can control but something you are going to suffer for." As he continued to speak, the brunette noticed a rather sinister sophistication about him. Almost like even though he was an obvious bad guy and was proud of it, that he still held himself to a standard. "Well, life's not fair, is it?"_

_Kimiko shook her head. "No, it's not." Trying to force herself to sit up only to end up crying in pain, the blood continuing to splatter all over the floor. "But why, why are you after my partner? What does he have that you're so desperate to get your hands on?"_

"_We can't have every answer we want, my dear, but the answer to that will come in time." The shadow of Xenolith getting onto his feet before turning his back to her. "I have my reasons for doing everything that I have done in the past, or that I will do in the future."_

_The girl now could only look at the floor, seeing that thick puddle of blood and beginning to feel herself grow cold. "Y-You're a monster."_

"_I am many things, blossom, but a monster is not one of them." The demon snickering before suddenly vanishing into thin air, leaving the human in shock._

_All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her neck, the girl crying out in horror as she began to feel the already open cuts begin to grow. Kimiko laying there in terror as blood began to flow everywhere from the now open throat, finding herself completely unable to breathe. _

_And after that, everything went completely dark._

_._

_._

_._

Kimiko let out a cry of shock, sitting up in her dark bedroom with a cold sweat dripping from her forehead. Her hands were immediately on her neck, fingers feeling their way around the perfectly intact skin, finding no blood or any trace of cuts where they once were. Her throat no longer torn up, her breathing heavy as her mind tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

"I-It was all a dream." She whispered to herself through gulps of air, the memory of what had just happened rather vivid for a dream. "But it was so real and he was there."

"Kimi?"

The brunette turned in surprise, seemly having forgotten that Tsumi was sleeping on his futon in the room. She could already see his figure sitting up, the demon rubbing tired violet eyes. "Oh, Tsumi. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah," The child said, but not seeming angry or upset about this. "What's wrong? You sound like something really scary just happened to you."

"It was Xenolith."

Never before had Tsumi gone from half-awake to alert and petrified so fast, the child swallowing before nodding. "Xenolith? What happened?"

The bookreader watched her partner stand up, wanting to be closer to her when she explained everything. "He came to me in a dream." The poison demon now sitting on her bed beside the girl. "He just wanted to taunt me, telling me that even though I hadn't done anything wrong that he was still going to come after me only because I was your bookreader. And after that, he…he…" Her voice breaking off with strong emotion and fear.

"What did he do?"

Kimiko pulled her knees close to her chest, the beginning of tears in her eyes. "He slashed my throat open and continued talking while I bled everywhere. And in the end, he ripped my neck apart somehow, even though he wasn't in the room. I-I don't know how he did it, but all of a sudden he was so strong and I was helpless to do anything about his murderous intentions. I knew he wanted to kill me and I couldn't say no or run away. He had me caged in and I knew that was where I was going to stay, no matter what."

Even though it lingered in the back of his mind, Tsumi knew that asking about what Xenolith had said about him just wasn't right in this moment. His small hands patting the girl's back as she began to tremble. "It's going to be okay, Kimiko."

"It felt so real!" The girl cried, tears now beginning to run down her cheeks, to the surprise and terror of the poison demon. "It's almost like it was a vision of the future that he plans to slice my throat open or something like that!"

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of Kimiko Isahowa's sobbing. Her partner suddenly felt so helpless, unable to completely comprehend the true terror this was probably putting her through. He always knew that Xenolith was seeking him out, but the two had never interacted or seen each other through any kind of medium. No, the Puppet Master instead chose to terrorize Kimiko, give information to Kenja and study and gather information through Flynn. It was almost like he was meaning to tease Tsumi, that by making those who were important to him suffer, that it would be a better means of coaxing him away from his safety.

And little to say, it was working.

"He wasn't showing you the future, I promise you." Tsumi's voice suddenly leaving his lips with a gentle strength he forced himself to muster. "I'm your demon and I've already promised myself that I will protect you from harm, no matter what happens. If he wants to kill you, he'll have to go through me first."

The brunette was suddenly at a loss for words, meeting the violet eyes of Tsumi in the dark. Something about him suddenly seemed to be reassuring and fatherly and even though she was taken aback by it, this felt more than a little right.

"And, we have friends too!" The poison demon continued. "And, since they're part of the alliance too, I know they want to protect you just as much as I do. We won't let this happen, because you've got a lot of people who want to help you, that want to protect you. And to help make sure that even when things get there worst, that you'll always be able to be strong and do the best that you possibly could."

More tears began to form, but this time not because of fear and sadness, the brunette sniffling as she pulled her partner close to her. His small arms hugging her gently in return, the slight glimmer of emotions now beginning to form in his own pupils. "Thank you so much, Tsumi. Thank you so much."

His eyes shut, nodding with his voice gentle. "Of course. Anything for you."

.

.

.

"I see, so that's what happened."

Kimiko nodded, trying not to let her emotions overcome her after she lowered her head. "Yeah, he hasn't come back since last night, but since I haven't slept since I don't know if he'll come back tonight or not."

The brunette was standing before the chalk board in freshmen class 3-D, the other members of the alliance; Aislinn, Kenja, Michael and Kyo, whose first day of school this happened to be, were all in attendance. Kincad stood at the front of the room, more than happy to be going over plans and ideas for this upcoming fight with his three students, a freshmen in a different class and this sophomore.

He had already become quite the adult to have around, especially when people put in the thought that he didn't treat his students like fragile little children he would have to protect. Instead they had become his equals, both in a strategic view and in a mental light. He wanted to know their ideas and opinions and of course any experience was almost needed to be spoken. But it was nice to have an adult around, it gave the group of otherwise only early High School students a bit of security.

"Well, this is quite the reminder that Xenolith would rather toy around than take everything so seriously." Kenja muttered. "If he was willing to fool around for a few moments before making a move, than it is clear to me that what he was doing before, was nothing more than a little joke."

"Slashing her throat was a joke?" Michael asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Why would somebody do that for a laugh?"

"It's not like that." The sickly blond said. "He must have entered Kimiko's mind to make this dream become a false reality, which meant if he had really willed it, he could have done some serious damage to her. However, instead he simply teased at her and in the end made her suffer in a trivial way that in the end wasn't real. We have an idea of what this demon can do and it is obvious that he could do much more that what he did to Kimiko if he had pleased."

"Do you think that maybe he did that just to make her afraid? That maybe he knew she'd come back here to tell us and that we might just end up more afraid of him than ever?" Kyo suddenly chimed in, light green eyes darting around the room to see the faces of everybody else. He more or less knew everybody in this room, but it was still a little strange to think that he lived here in Otaru with the rest of them now.

"That seems more than likely."

Everybody then directed their attention to Yukio Kincad, who was sitting on top of his teacher's desk, eyes narrowed with focus. "We've already concluded that our friend is a smart man, so transmitting things through one of us to give all the others, whether it be feelings or information on him, is rather ingenious. He's already figured out our group dynamic here and is playing it to his own advantage."

"But if he's doing that, then how should we handle things?" Kyo asked. "We can't just stop telling each other everything we learn, right?"

"No, that wouldn't be an option." Mr. Kincad replied, brow furrowed with heavy thoughts. "We still need to share information with each other, but we just need to be aware that the Puppet Master is always aware of this. He's quite capable of playing to everything he has gathered on us, so with one fell swoop he could destroy us all with just manipulation. It's a frightening gamble, but just because he is able to intimidate us and play to our mindset, doesn't mean we can back away."

All the while, Kimiko was silent, looking to her feet and nodding. Of course he picked her, because she was the weakest emotionally. He probably knew that if he could frighten her enough, that she'd become putty in his hands and that she could share this deep fear with the others who probably never would have been as horrified as she had been during that dream.

"Does that mean that, this Xenolith, is going to keep torturing us until we burn his book?" Aislinn asked, voice as cold as ever as she spoke this valid point.

"Most likely." Kenja nodding, Yukio doing the same to show he agreed with the teenager. "It's proved successful in the past and since a bookreader with their mind on other things, probably won't be as difficult to fight as a human and demon with their focus all on an enemy they both deeply resent."

"It's like cheating, using his powers to keep our minds focused on other things." Michael mumbled.

"I don't know if I would call it cheating." Aislinn said. "If anything, it's just using his spells in an affective light. He knows just what he wants and has no intention of backing out. This plan that he's been using, well who can blame him? If any of us had the abilities that Xenolith does, I doubt we would just play it fair. We would probably do the same thing to distract him and keep his mind away from what he might otherwise want to do to us."

"We'd probably justify it as simply strategy, which is probably how our little friend is seeing it." Kenja added, still having a look of deep concentration on his face.

"Why are you saying things like that!" Kyo suddenly interjected, eyes wide and frustrated. "You're making us sound evil, with this discussion of how we would torture Xenolith like he's torturing us! What, do you suddenly think that we're in the wrong here and that we can be as evil as he is?"

"Not evil, Kyo, but strategic." Kincad's voice breaking through the teenager's conversation. "What you're saying here is that you wouldn't play with your enemies, now I understand that it does seem wrong, but when you think about it, a few things can be. This dream visiting he does, well it's similar to a status infliction of sorts because it leaves your enemy unable to do their best. Now all I want to know is this. If an enemy was coming after you for a battle very soon, a foe you had heard a lot of horrible things about and were positive was stronger than you, that you wouldn't jump on the chance to intimidate them? That you wouldn't try and focus your energy into making that person think of something horrid every time they would see you thanks to what you did in a dream? They could never be as frightening and dangerous if they were plagued with other thoughts and fears when seeing you."

"I…I guess I would do it." Kyo slowly relayed, then looking up at Yukio with uncertainty. "But then what really separates us and him?"

"Barely anything." Kimiko whispered, looking at the floor as she spoke.

"Now, now. That's not entirely true." The ninth grade teacher replied, getting to his feet. "We have humanity, the ability to see a demon for what they give to us. As a group, we obviously have come to understand that a group dynamic can be successful because when you are able to battle in numbers, you have fewer weaknesses to worry about. Xenolith has nothing similar, from what we've seen, he tends to think of demons as nothing but a means to get what he wants done. This means that if anything, we separate from him because of our ability to work together instead of sacrificing all that you see as inferior to help you get your way."

All of the teenagers went silent, watching Yukio go back to the chalk board and begin placing neatly written kanji on there. "I think you all know by now that we have no more time to loose, which means that we need to head over to where we know Xenolith is soon." The man turning away from the board to show them what he had placed. The words 'Holiday Break' on the board. "Now, I know we all have a bit of a break during the holiday season coming up, which means that during the middle of it, we are going to leave Otaru and head to the island where our Puppet Master is hiding out. Are there any objections?"

The room was quiet for a good few minutes more while everybody began to think this over before which of course succeeded in making a few of them swallow in nervousness, but when in a fight like this there wasn't much they could do but accept and move forward.

"Alright, then that is a plan, we will gather together to leave on Wednesday." Yukio then beginning to erase the board. "You all are dismissed, that was all I am sure we needed to discuss."

"Wait!"

All of a sudden the door flung open, an out of breath Setsuna and Flynn both now standing in the open doorway. "W-We need to talk to you guys about something!" The heterochromic doctor said, drawing in long breaths.

"Flynn?" Kimiko cocking her head, a little surprised while Aislinn looked at the teenager. He seemed a little familiar, but she wasn't all too sure on exactly who he was.

"S-Setsuna." Kenja looking away after seeing the red eyes of the sophomore, he hadn't expected to see him again anytime soon and still wondered if the sophomore was mad at him for their previous conversation.

"Ah, it's nice to see you once again, Flynn." Yukio turning to look at both of the boys, lifting an eyebrow when noticing Setsuna. "And I don't believe we've met."

"Don't worry, I've not really met anybody in this room." The raven haired teen replied, sighing slightly. "Now, can we just get to the point?"

"The floor is all yours."

Flynn drew in a breath, looking at all of the teenagers and praying they would at least try and understand where they were coming from. "We want to go with, to help take down Xenolith."

"What!?"

Almost every bookreader has shouted this, thanks to the shock of these two somewhat defenseless people wanting to come into a battle as serious as this.

"W-Why would you want to do that?" Kimiko stammered. "This isn't something so easy, Xenolith is a pretty impossi-"

"We know what he's like." Setsuna snapped, the hazel eyes of Kimiko stunned at his tone. "I probably know more than anybody else."

Flynn placed his hand in front of Setsuna to keep him away from the bookreaders, sighing slightly. "What he means to say is that we understand that this battle isn't going to be easy, but since I can offer medical attention and Setsu has experience with Xenolith, we could actually be pretty useful to all of you. We understand that this kind of a thing isn't easy, but we know that in the long run, we'll be anything but dead weight."

"Boys," Kincad taking a step closer to them both. "I know you want to help, but I don't know if I would be comfortable with this. Because if you were separated, you'd have no partner to protect yourself with."

"Mr. Kincad, if you don't mind my saying." Kenja standing up, a bit of a longing look in his eyes.

"No, go ahead."

The blond glanced at the ground for a moment, drawing in a breath. "A lot of the trivial information I have on the Puppet Master, like his appearance and personality patterns, came from Setsuna. He has quite a bit of knowledge on him, which most likely exceeds our own and well, that would come in handy in the long run to have somebody who knows this man."

Yukio lifted an eyebrow. "How exactly do you know Xenolith."

Flynn bit into his lip, the raven haired teenager looking at the ground. "That's not the important thing here."

"But anyways," Kimiko then standing, figuring she might as well lend a helping hand. "Flynn has become our go to doctor to help everybody when things get bad and well, he's been pretty good at it. So, it would probably be useful to have a doctor on the team in case things ended up really bad."

Both of the sophomores were a little surprised by this help from these two, but couldn't help but silently feel grateful towards this aid. Kincad looking to the other members of this team and seeing their looks of approval, causing the blond teacher to sigh fondly, nodding. "Well, if you two are as wonderful as Kimiko and Kenja seem to believe, then not having you around could end up being the worst decision I've ever made. Welcome to the team, boys."

Flynn gave Yukio a thrilled smile, bowing in respect. "Thank you so much, sir!" Setsuna nodding but deciding to skip out on the bow. "Yeah, thank you."

"Anyways, we were just going over plans on when we are going to leave for Xenolith's Castle, so it would probably be for the best that I go over it with the both of you. So, speaking that we have holiday break coming up, the best choice for us would be to…"

Kimiko leaned her chin into her palm, smiling gently at the sight of everybody getting along and sharing knowledge. Maybe, this really could work and they could all make a rather amazing team, the brunette able to believe this with a rather deep passion. With the support of all these people, maybe this could all work just the way she wanted it to.

"_Don't get too cocky my dear."_

All of a sudden, Kimiko could feel a hand begin to slide up the small of the back, the girl biting into her lip with fear. It was only a dream, nothing more than some kind of illusion. She was in the classroom, looking up at Kyo and shaking. Kyo was there and therefore she was there too, the brunette trying to calm herself down.

"_Even if you try to push me aside and convince yourself that I am nothing but an illusion, you know that on the inside, that I am what you are the most afraid of. Blossom, you are so small when trying to convince yourself of your own safety. But do you know why that is? It's because you and I both know that you have no faith in this team and that you're afraid of being defeated. But, this only proves that you need to abandon those that will only get hurt, turn yourself in and allow me to do all I need and all I want."_


	25. Goodbyes to Families

_Hey Guys,_

_Wow, little to say real lives kind of keep you on your toes. I have been rather swamped with the beginning of my Sophomore year and well, add marching band to the list and the fact that this school year will contain the removal of both my tonsils and four wisdom teeth (apparently this means I am very wise) will just make this all the more insane. After probably a month, chapter 27 is finally done! Little to say, I am thrilled by that chapter finally being done even though the ending isn't my favorite. But yes, so I wish I could say I will be more frequent but even though my football team has a bi this week doesn't mean I don't have an hour and fifteen min of band in the morning *sigh*. But, what can you do?_

_Anyways, I am going to try my hardest to get things up and running, maybe even start writing chapters in my notebooks in spare time in class and stuff, but judging by the way things are working right now I just doubt it. And man, it probably would have been cool to post this on my birthday last August, but oopsies I forgot and well, school kept me from doing much anything for my sixteenth on the 28th. But I digress._

_Anyways, I should probably leave the coffee shop now before people think I have nothing to do with my life. But hey, mocha frappachino's are delicious. Enjoy the chapter and well, meet parents! (Sorry Kyo and Michael, but parents aren't something you have, see you next time :( *Hugs them*)_

_xKiha_

* * *

"Hey, Mom? I need you to sit down for a minute; we need to talk about something."

Today was Monday, or rather Monday night and on Wednesday Kimiko and Tsumi were leaving for Xenolith's Castle. The only thing Kimiko needed to do now was talk to her mother about this, something she was very afraid of doing.

The gentle cocoa eyes of Akane Isahowa fell onto her eldest daughter, having just sent ten year old Azusa to bed an hour after two year old Taiki. "We need to talk? About what, Kimiko?"

The teenager bit into her lip as she sat down at the kitchen table with Tsumi by her side. "About something very strange, very unbelievable. But, I just need you to listen to me and understand that I'm being serious here. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to."

Her mother sat down, the teenager drawing in a breath as she placed her purple spellbook on the table. "This little thing right here, well it's kind of special in a few ways." The girl opening it to reveal the page with her first spell on it. "I'm sure the writing gives that away though." Akane bending forward to get a good look at the page, frowning when she noticed the strange writing on the thin pages. "What language is this, Kimiko?"

"Demon."

Right away the mother turned to her daughter in shock, cocoa eyes now wide with both confusion and misunderstanding. "Demon?" Her mind now full of quite a few thoughts, but one beginning to stand out above all others, her voice shaking slightly. "Are you studying Satanism?" The woman fearing the idea of her daughter being a Satan worshipper above all else.

The poison duo exchanged looks of surprise, but the daughter of Akane was quick to turn back to her mother, giving a reassuring smile. "No, Mom, I'm not studying Satanism and I don't plan on worshipping the devil anytime soon. But," The girl pausing while she tried to think of a way that she could explain this to her mother and make rational sense. "This is demon writing. And well, I can read what it says."

"H-How can you read demon?"

"Well, I can only read this book. I don't have the only book with demon writing in it, but only I can read this book." Kimiko said gently.

"And how did you get your hands on this book?"

"I gave it to her."

It was then that both Isahowa women turned to Tsumi, the poison demon finding himself a bit nervous now that he had the attention of both Akane and his bookreader. "Yes, I gave it to her when I came here from Demon World. Since she was my one true partner, the book became hers because only she could read it."

"This isn't a funny joke, kids." The woman finding herself flustered, needing a sense of reality now that her daughter and an orphan her daughter had taken in were talking about demons and something about one true partners. "I want you two to tell me where that book really came from and what language it really is. Playing jokes isn't okay."

"Mom, I'm not playing a joke." A sincere look in Kimiko's hazel eyes as she placed her hand on her mother's palm reassuringly. "Tsumi really is a demon sent here from his world. He's here to compete in a fight to help decide the next king of his home and the only way to fight is by finding the one human that can read your spellbook and using the spells you and your partner unlock, to destroy one another's books. The last one surviving, well they are declared the king and earn the throne."

This shocking reveal of information cause Akane's head to begin spinning, the woman biting into her lip. "You two are involved in a fight? In some kind of a demonic war?"

"Yeah, we are." Her daughter said, voice a bit softer now.

"And how long has this been going on for?"

"Well, ever since Tsumi first started staying with us. We found out we were partners and have been fighting, sometimes unwillingly, ever since."

The brunette's mother bit into her lip, nodding with hidden disapproval. "And yet in the end, you never thought to tell me that this was going on."

A sudden stab of hurt was sent at Kimiko, looking at her mother and realizing just how upset her parent was about this. But what was she supposed to do other than what she had done? The girl sighing as she rubbed her temples. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to protect you, because the more you knew, the more in danger you could be in if you ever tried to get involved. And the last thing either of us wanted was for anybody in the family to end up hurt because of us."

Akane knew she couldn't be hurt by this, nodding as she looked over the two. "So, if you didn't want me to know to protect our family, then why are you telling me now?"

"Because, we have to go somewhere." Tsumi said, almost bluntly but with a rather grave tone in his voice. "There is an enemy that's been controlling the minds of other demons and he wants us more than anything. We don't know why he does, but all we know is that we have no choice other than going after him. This means of course that we'll have to leave for a while, how long we don't know, but we can't put this off any longer."

"You're leaving to go after an enemy, all on your own?" Akane asked, rather stunned by this statement.

"Not exactly." Kimiko shaking her head, figuring this statement would calm her mother down, at least a little bit. "Some of my friends, like Kenja and Kyo, are also bookreaders and we're all going to head over there. There's going to be fourteen of us in total, so we'll be able to take down enemies in numbers."

"I see," Akane slightly relieved, just as her daughter had figured. "And does your group of friends consist of just high school students?"

"Nope, Mr. Kincad is going with us. He has a demon partner as well and decided to band with us to fight."

This was a little surprising, the woman nodding with a bit of hesitation. All of this information spinning around in her head as she tried to comprehend everything that she had just learned. "I see."

"So," Kimiko standing up, her voice a little meek now. "Do you understand that we have to do this? That even though it's scary, that we're going to be okay because we have a lot of people to rely on. And that in the end we have to find this guy and take him out?"

"I-I don't like this idea at all, but I understand." Akane looking into her daughter's eyes with her own slightly misty. "I don't know if I get a choice here, but I'm sure you can handle this with your friends."

The brunette got up from her chair, hugging her mother lovingly as the woman gently sniffled, her daughter smiling. "Thank you, Mom. I promise you that we'll be okay. I'll be safe, the both of us will."

"I know you will, honey, I know you will."

.

.

.

"What was that!?"

Kenja cringed at the sound of a plate hitting the kitchen sink, the sound alerting everybody to the fact that it shattered. "Mother, Father, I need you to be reasonable."

Himaji Sedai was beginning to remove shards of plate from the sink, shaking her head while Yamato stood up to help his wife out, his voice a bit harsh. "Kenja, you make this sound simple. You're talking about demons, about Kesai being some sort of supernatural creature and about fighting some mind controlling villain!"

"Father, I-"

"Kenja, are you trying some different kinds of medicine?" Himaji drying off her hands before placing them on his forehead. "Are you beginning to feel sick again?"

"No, Mother, I am fine." The blond taking a step back from the both of them, understanding their concern but rejecting their attempts to rationally explain this with his illness. "I am not making a joke, nor am I seeing this as something simple or feeling sick. I understand everything and that includes my limits and the severity of the situation I am in. We have no other choice than to fight, but I knew I had to tell you of this before I disappeared along with Kesai."

"And what makes you think we are going to believe you?" Yamato asked him, folding his arms while his wife went back to picking up shards of the plate and throwing them away.

Kenja turned to Kesai, who was sitting at the kitchen table with the orange spellbook sitting on the table before him. The child was wearing a black cap, rather used to wearing hats when in the Sedai home. The kitsune bit into his lip, nodding because even when he wasn't given the order verbally, he already knew what Kenja was asking of him without the use of words.

His small hands rose up, lifting the cap off of his head to reveal the fox ears he had on the top of his head. Yamato grunting in shock while Himaji gasped, causing the fire demon's ears to lower against his red hair. "I'm a demon, a kitsune to be more exact."

"Y-You're kidding, right!" Himaji cried, her eyes now full of tears thanks to strong emotions. "Kenja, please tell me you're playing a joke!"

"I am afraid I am not."

Kenja moved away from his parents and over to Kesai, placing his hand on their orange book which ignited with a powerful aura matching the color of the cover at the introduction of his fingertips. "I wouldn't joke about something as serious as this, I only came to talk because you needed to be aware and the last think I would want is for you to have to learn from a friend's parent."

His mother sniffled, rubbing tears from her green eyes. "Kenja, you're not strong enough to do something like this! What if you get hurt?"

"He'll have me to protect him," Himaji and Yamato turning to see Kesai standing up, the kitsune's green eyes honest and sincere while he spoke. "My goal here may be to become king, but I have already sworn to protect Kenja, weather I have to give up my life in the process or otherwise. I won't let him get hurt, or push himself, not when I'm there to protect and watch over him."

Yamato folded his arms, glaring down the fire demon, causing his ears to go flat against his head. "And what makes you believe that we're going to believe a demon?"

Kenja bit into his lip, seeing this sudden hesitation in his partner that he couldn't explain. The little kitsune recoiling in the bitterness with slight fear before his eyes took on a much darker and more mysterious glint to them. "I don't need you to believe me." The child looking to Kenja, who nodded before speaking.

"In the end, Mother, Father, I don't know if either of us expected you to believe us, but that wasn't the goal I guess. I will admit, I was weak before, but now I have enough strength to help my friends carry this weight on my shoulders. Whether you allow it or not, I have already made my choice and I won't be swayed, I would only suggest that you try and accept it before I leave. Because understanding why I am doing this will make it easier to swallow when I do leave."

Yamato placed his hands on Himaji's shoulders, the woman sniffling as her son picked up his book, turning to retire to his room before the woman broke through the silence and spoke. "Kenja, it's not that we don't understand, it's just that you're too w-"

"I am not ill anymore!" The blond suddenly snapped, Kesai taking a step back in fear with his ears lowering. "Everybody continues to insist that I am ill, or that I am too fragile or weak to hold my own! I am not some child that needs to be looked after! I am more than capable of making my own choices when it comes to my life and I understand that you all want to prevent my condition from worsening. But, I doubt me taking time to live my life is going to kill me any faster and I've already accepted the fact that I may or will die at an early age. But, telling me that I am too weak to handle my own life. It is absolutely unacceptable!"

Both Yamato and Himaji were in shock, seeing the flash of tears in Kenja's eyes before the teenager shook his head. "I am no longer some pathetic child in a hospital bed anymore!" Then turning his back on the both of them before walking out of the room and out the front door.

Finally, Himaji burst into tears while Yamato tried to console her. Kesai looking at the ground with shame before sighing. "I know this is hard, but sometimes we have to do things we don't like because we have to. I wish I could help, but there's nothing I can do but promise you that I will guard him with my life." The kitsune heading for the front door. "He really is strong, you know? I know he is still sick, even though he won't let himself believe it, but I know he'll be able to push through. We both will."

And with that, the kitsune walked out of the house, somewhat proud of himself for being able to get Yamato and Himaji to listen. Even if they didn't say it, he could sense their understanding. Now all he had to do was find Kenja.

.

.

.

"Kirii-nii?"

Kirii Akihira blinked grey eyes, handing Aislinn another wet dish for her to dry while his kind voice left his mouth. "Yes? What is it?"

"About the battle Cheshire and I fight in," The girl with scars beginning to dry the dish while looking up at her cousin. "Something very important came up and now the both of us have to go away for a few days."

Akira Eisu stopped putting away dishes from the drying rack to look at his boyfriend's cousin, lifting his eyebrow. "You have to go away? To where?"

"We have to go to a small island off the coast of Hokkaido." Cheshire replied from where she sat at the table. "A powerful enemy is there, one that we can't afford to let be any longer."

"What kind of a powerful enemy?" Kirii's voice taking on a more paternal tone as he shut the sink off, much more concerned with Aislinn and Cheshire leaving to fight some enemy he wasn't aware of until now.

"His name is Xenolith," Cheshire said, knowing that she could supply all of the details while Aislinn could probably only recollect certain snippets. Not that she would ever be bothered by her partner's faulty memory, it was barely anything when it came down to it. Her partner could have been more like Kimiko, which in that case she would have tried to burn her own book. "And he has the ability to control the minds of other demons and bookreaders. His favorite hobby happens to be sending other teams under his influence after us and the people we've begun fighting with. And now that he's begun to mess with the minds of our team, we know we can't let this demon exist any longer."

"So, he's an evil psychic?" Akira said, a little mystified by this idea. He had accepted the idea of demons before, but the more he heard of their outlandish powers, the more threatening they felt. Kirii and him exchanged looks, both a little hesitant but understanding. This was Aislinn and Cheshire's fight, which meant that they couldn't do anything about this; they were somewhat powerless in this situation.

"Basically." Aislinn nodded. "But, he's overpowered, which means that the both of us, along with some other demons and bookreaders are all headed to the island he's staying on. We're going to burn his book, because we can't just sit here anymore and let him torture us."

"So, is it going to be dangerous?"

This question was a rather serious one for Kirii, this being the answer to if he was going to have to spend nights worrying about the both of them. Sure, all demon battles were dangerous, at least to a degree. But usually, when they left, it was only for a few hours. This time, it seemed that it would be for more, which would most likely leave her cousin up all night worrying about the girls.

"Of course, but we aren't going to be alone. We will have others to depend on, so the fear of being ganged up on won't have to exist." Cheshire replied, having Aislinn nod once again. "All demon battles are a risk and even though this one is a little more dangerous than the others, I am sure we will be able to handle this."

"And you're going to protect Aislinn right?"

Kirii's grey eyes were now serious, Akira nodding with agreement, needing an answer as well. "You will be protecting Aislinn, right?"

"With my life."

The boyfriends exchanged looks, both seeing this understanding although a bit frightened glimmer in the other's eyes. They couldn't say no, not when they had long since accepted the existence of the demon battles and having Cheshire's word to protect her bookreader with all of her ability.

"Alright girls, just promise to be safe." Kirii said gently. "I know you'll be able to do this and do it well."

.

.

.

"Tora, Flynn, could you put away the dishes, please?"

Kio Fukisa stood up from their rather late supper, Nojiko having just left to put Eri and Esu to bed. Although this was much to Esu's disdain, the child whining in anger while his mother picked him up to put him and his twin to bed.

Tora, being the helpful little girl she was nodded, getting up out of her own seat and began gathering empty plates. However, Flynn wasn't getting up, folding his hands with nervousness as he drew in a breath. "Actually, Dad, I need to talk to you and Mom about something very important."

"Oh?" Kio raising an eyebrow, sitting right back down in his chair. "What do you have to talk about?"

"It's just that, well, I have to go away somewhere for a while with some friends…"

Nojiko walked back in the room just in time to hear about this, lifting an eyebrow. "Where do you have to go with these friends?"

Flynn watched with a swallow as Nojiko walked over to where her husband was sitting and taking a seat beside him. "Well, off to a somewhat remote and isolated island off the coast of Hokkaido." Seeing the surprised looks in their eyes and swallowing. "A few students and I have been doing some work in class and we find that going to an island to get information would probably be for the best."

"But why exactly are you and a few friends going to a deserted island?" Kio then asked, this being a rather important question for the father. This didn't seem to be a normal activity for teenagers, which made him wonder if his son was lying in hopes of doing something else. That wouldn't be very like Flynn to do something like that, but he could never be too careful. Not when his child was involved.

The heterochromic teenager drew in a breath, this part was going to be hard to fabricate. "Well, we have been conducting some experiments in the class during extra time during the day and the freshmen teacher, Mr. Kincad, who teaches a few of the students going, took interest in it. And since the experiment mostly focuses on ocean life and the small creatures affected through seasons and changes, we figured it would be best if we were able to study various creatures in different habitats to see if creatures in unique places would change or develop differently."

Nojiko turned to Kio, seeing the somewhat understanding look in her husband's eyes. He seemed to believe what their son was saying, making the woman a little less on edge about the idea of her son going. "So, will this teacher be going with you guys?"

"Yes, he's going with to watch over us and make sure everything goes over well."

Tora, who had been listening to the conversation while beginning to wash dishes, turned to her brother and parents. "Flynn, you're going to go away for a while?"

The heterochromic teenager's voice softened rather sweetly when his eyes fell onto his sister's pale blue irises. "Yes, but I'll be back before you know it, I promise."

Kio yawned rather deeply before standing up, the man smiling gently. "Well, since you will be supervised by a teacher and you are going with a few other students, I don't see why you can't go. Nojiko?"

"I fully agree." The woman nodded, smiling gently. "Just promise to be safe, alright?"

Flynn nodded, his own face now holding a smile. "Of course, Mom. We'll be safe. Mr. Kincad isn't the type of teacher to let us put ourselves in danger."

His parents, both exhausted from a day of being on their feet in the hospital and working, stood up. Both were ready to go to bed, telling both of their children good night before heading off to their bedroom. Flynn standing up after they left, gathering left over dishes to help his sister get the rest of them done.

He hadn't wanted to lie, but there was nothing more he could do, not without a spellbook or a demon to help him prove this point. He was going to be okay, he was sure of it, but the slight sinking feeling in his chest thanks to lying bugged him slightly. He then grabbed a dish, beginning to scrape it off.

This was just part of life when it came to these demon battles and he knew there was nothing more he could do but go with it.

.

.

.

'_Dear Mom and Tsubasa,_

_Don't worry about me, I haven't run away and I plan on coming home as soon as I can. I just had to go away for a while with a few friends, if you call Flynn's house they'll probably tell you where Flynn is and I'm tagging along. I couldn't find the words or really anything to say, so I figured that I would write this instead because I'm not good with these kinds of things. Anyways, I'll be back soon enough, so you don't need to worry about me. I'll be safe and I won't be going too far, just don't worry or come looking for me. I will be home soon enough,_

_Setsuna.'_

Setsuna Yuuki drew in a breath as he finished writing the letter, growling with frustration at the fact that it didn't sound all that greator trustworthy. In fact, it almost sounded like he was lying to them. Well, there was no way in hell that he was going to walk over to his mother and little sister and tell them what exactly was going on. He didn't want to talk to anybody, placing the paper on his desk in his dark room.

He then looked to his bed, sighing as he stood up, drawing in a breath as he placed his hand on a book he had left there. His palms sliding up a completely black book, but not just any book.

This was a spellbook.

"I'm going to get revenge for you," Setsuna whispered, feeling the slight linger of tears in his eyes. "I am going to watch those people destroy that bastard, no I'm going to destroy that bastard, for you. He's not going to live much longer, I promise it."

Setsuna then moved the book, sighing with dismay before pulling the novel to his chest. "I promise you." His trembling hands shaking as he pulled the book closer and closer to his body.

_I promise you, Nora._

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.

.

"We have to get up early, okay?"

Kimiko smiled gently as she set her alarm clock for five in the morning, which made her skin crawl. Tsumi looking up at her from his futon. "How early?"

"Five." The brunette replied, listening to the child groan with upset at this idea. Kimiko then rolling her eyes with a soft giggle. "I know, I know. I don't want to get up early either. But, that's when Mr. Kincad is showing up with the car he's renting."

"Kimi?"

"Yes?"

The violet eyes of Tsumi looked up at his partner with a certain sweet quality to them. "How exactly are fourteen of us going to fit into a car?"

"Uh, well," Kimiko blinking as she tried to figure this out. "I guess it'd be something like a mini-bus or something on that line."

"Will we have to squish?"

"I don't know, I don't know."

The poison demon looked up at his partner, seeing this serious and rather nervous look in the brunette's eyes. "You shouldn't be scared, Kimiko." The girl turning to look at him with a little bit of surprise. "If you keep worrying, he's going to go after you. It's going to be okay, I promise that it's going to be okay. We're strong enough to fight back and we're going to take this guy down. Okay?"

"Okay." Kimiko nodded, giving him a gentle smile as she turned off the light. "Now get some sleep, alright? You can sleep in the car, but it'd be best to get as much rest as you can before we leave."

"Alright." Tsumi then snuggling up in his futon as Kimiko climbed into her own bed. Soon enough, everything was completely silent, the brunette drawing in a breath.

_We're going to be okay, it is all going to be okay._

_At least, I can only pray we will be._


	26. Xenolith's Island

_Hey Guys,_

_I decided to update this now, but well I guess I just liked the idea of doing it. Probably because I'm in a pretty good mood. I have homecoming on the brain and since my date (an amazing guy who plays trombone in my band) surprised me with our tickets today, I guess I wanted to share my joy._

_But this chapter is another that helped things moved forward, it is what brings us to Xenolith's island, something we needed to do. I am not a huge fan of this one, but well I can't just have them magically teleport to the island now can I? _

_Well, weather it is a great one or not, enjoy the next chapter! I will try my hardest to post the next chapter soon, but with dress shopping this weekend, I don't know if I will be able to. But, here is to writing!_

_xKiha_

* * *

**BEEP!**

**BEEP!**

**BEEP!**

Tsumi groaned at the sound of Kimiko's alarm clock beginning to blare, the child rolling on his side in the futon. "Shut up." Voice a low and irritated groan thanks to the sound of the clock going off. "I wanna sleep more, it's too early to be awake."

Kimiko was quick to move, forcing herself up and out of her bed. "Alright, Tsu, get up. We got to get dressed, Mr. Kincad and the others were nice enough to pick us up last and they'll be here any minute." The brunette turning on the light, causing Tsumi to whine at the introduction of the bright rays. "I'm not kidding anymore, Tsumi, get up."

The poison demon forced himself to sit up, whimpering as he tried to navigate his cloak with only one violet eye opened. "It's too bright." The child then finding what he was looking for and pulling it on while Kimiko tossed him his shoes.

The brunette then grabbed her bag after getting dressed, looking out her window and seeing a large black van, or maybe it was some kind of a mini-bus, pull into her driveway. "Alright, Tsumi, let's get going." The girl turning to see the demon trying to stand up only to slightly wobble, forcing the girl to take him by the hand and lead him out of the room.

"Do you have my book?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you have that map?"

"Yes."

"Do you have extra clothes?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do I?"

"I don't know, do you?"

Tsumi blinked, seeming to suddenly snap awake as he took his bag off his shoulders and peered inside. "Oh, yes I do!" The child then turning back to Kimiko and smiling softly. "Alright, I guess I'm ready to go then, I have everything I need and so do you."

The brunette nodded as she opened the front door, shuddering at the cold wind that began to blow into the house. "Okay, then let's go have an adventure like nothing either of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes."

Tsumi gave her a slight thumbs up as the both of them headed outside, waving to Mr. Kincad who was in the driver's seat, the man smiling as he honked the horn.

The brunette took this as an invite, smiling as she opened the door to the back only to meet the rather exhausted faces of the rest of the alliance. The van having three rows of four seats, which were all filled other than two in the back.

Yukio Kincad was in the driver's with Icarus fast asleep in the passenger's.

Cheshire was in the front on the far left facing the window, Aislinn on her right. Right next to Aislinn was Flynn, who was trying to keep himself calm and trying not to blush. And beside him, Setsuna, who was wide awake despite looking more exhausted than ever, the dark circles under his eyes more apparent than ever.

Kesai was on the window side of the middle row, the kitsune having his head against Kenja's chest with his eyes shut comfortably, the blond right beside his demon as always. Sitting by Kenja was Shura, his own bookreader being to his right. Michael rubbing his eyes with exhaustion as he gave Kimiko a slight wave before yawning.

And in the back was Kyo and Amera, the window seat being left open for either member of the poison duo to sit in. Kimiko nudging Tsumi forward, the child whimpering before getting into the van and taking the window seat which left Kimiko with one option. The girl blinking as she realized that she would be sitting next to Kyo, who gave her a smile with his light green eyes tiredly glowing.

"Good morning, Kimiko." Kyo yawned as she closed the door, sitting beside him and swiftly buckling her own seatbelt.

"Morning, Kyo." The girl smiled softly, trying to keep herself from yawning. The last thing she wanted to do was end up sleeping on Kyo's shoulder, she couldn't imagine what he would think if she ended up doing something foolish in front of him.

"Alright, is everybody in comfortably?" Kincad's voice leaving his mouth in a paternal and understanding fashion, making all of the teenagers nod tiredly. None of them feeling awake enough to form proper sentences or to even really speak to him at this point. "Okay, then let's get going, we have a couple hours in the car before we get into the boat to bring us over to the island where Xenolith should be hiding."

Nobody said anything once again, Yukio smiling gently at this before staring the engine up and pulling out of the driveway. 'Goodbye Otaru, we hope to all be back soon enough in the same numbers that we are leaving in.'

Almost automatically, Tsumi was out like a light in the car, Kimiko seeing this and smiling lightly. She knew he was tired, but the fact that he was sleeping so soon was rather shocking. The brunette yawning softly at the thought of him sleeping, figuring that she'd enjoy sleeping as well since she usually would never be up this early in the morning.

"Tired?"

Kimiko blinked, turning to Kyo who had softly spoken to her with his voice a gentle whisper. Her cheeks slightly glowing with nervousness, her voice a wavering whisper. "Uhm, yes, a little bit."

"Well," Kyo looking away for a moment, his voice getting a little soft. "If you want, or if you need to I guess, you can put your head on my shoulder so you can sleep."

Kimiko was a little surprised by this, now beginning to blush rather harshly. "O-Oh, I don't know, wouldn't that bother you a little bit?"

"N-No," Kyo looking back at her, slightly blushing himself. "I wouldn't mind at all."

The brunette nodded, feeling her pulse begin to pick up as she smiled softly. "Well, then I guess I will take you up on that offer." The girl moving a bit closer to him before placing her head on his shoulder, yawning gently.

"Comfortable?"

Kimiko blushed harder, nodding slowly. "Yeah, it's very nice here." Nuzzling against his shoulder, able to inhale the gentle scent of Kyo Yakage. She didn't want to say it, but she really liked this, eyelids slowly lowering with exhaustion. Soon enough, she was asleep and rather comfortable with the position she was in.

"You really do like her, don't you?"

Kyo blinked, turning to see a soft and understanding look in Amera's eyes while he blushed. He looked around for a few moments before he spoke, trying to make sure nobody could hear his voice. "Y-Yeah, I like her a lot."

"Then you should show her." Amera smiled, making Kyo blush harder. "It is rather clear that she likes you quite a bit as well."

Kyo looked away, looking to the sleeping girl on his shoulder before laying his head gently on her own and relaxing. "M-Maybe I will someday, but only when I find the right time. Until then, I think I'll just go on liking her in secret."

.

.

.

Five hours in the car, there wasn't a person in the car that liked it.

By now, Kesai was beginning to squirm and so was Tsumi, neither of the two liking the idea of sitting down any longer. Which was good, because they were just about to pull up into the docks where they were renting a speed boat to get over to the island in.

"How much longer, Kimiko?"

The brunette sighed gently, drawing in a breath at the annoyance at hearing this question for the millionth time. "Just a few minutes, Tsumi, just a few minutes."

"Alright." The poison demon nodding, looking out the window with anticipation basically seething off of him.

Kimiko sighed, looking to Kyo who was laughing gently at this. "He's just a little nervous, he can't help himself from asking these kinds of things."

From a row in front of them, it seemed that Kenja and Kesai along with Michael and Shura were playing a card game. The kitsune laughed, placing his cards down. "Looks like I am winning here, boys. Nobody can beat these cards."

"I do not know about that." Kenja placing his cards down to show the other three, the blond smiling. "I believe these are much better than what you have."

"Well, these are unstoppable!" Shura laughed, spreading his cards on his lap and laughing, showing them his cards, Kesai's forest green eyes growing wider than silver dollars. "How did you get cards like that!?"

"Luck of the draw, I guess." Shura smirked, making Kesai's ears lower in shame and disappointment. "Aw, don't be too sad, everybody loses from time to time, Kai."

"Don't call me that!"

"What, Kai?"

"I said stop it!"

Icarus cringed at the sound of Kesai beginning to yell, biting into his lip with irritation. "Kesai, shut up." Voice firm in cold, causing the kitsune to cringe and lower his head.

After this the car became silent, Yukio trying not to say anything to the teenagers and demons that would most likely be at one another's throats if they had the chance. He couldn't have that in such a crucial time, because he knew that people feuding would not make good teammates.

"Alright guys, we're here."

Kincad pulled the van into a parking lot, the docks right in front of them as two excited demon boys basically sprang out of their seats with excitement. Kimiko unbuckling her seatbelt with a smile while Flynn turned to Setsuna who seemed to almost be seething with what only Flynn knew was anger. "Are you going to be okay, Setsu? I know this is going to be hard, to be with him after everything that's happened."

"It's okay, I'm going to fine. I can handle this, Flynn, because I want to see that bastard be destroyed more than anybody else here. I want to be there when he loses, all bloody and broken."

Flynn then nodded, smiling gently in a bit of nervousness as he opened the door to let everybody out. 'I know that this means a lot to you, but I just hope that you know that you won't be able to do this on your own, that you won't be able to take him down. I just hope that you'll be able to accept that in the end, it will be Kimiko and the others taking Xenolith down instead of you.'

.

.

.

"Alright, so it's great that you all are renting a boat!"

A man with short blond hair that was slicked up with a fake tan gave them all a thumbs up, seeming a little too excited about the rest of them renting a boat. "So, who is going to be the driver on this amazing day?"

The group exchanged looks, Kincad drawing in a breath with the knowledge that he would have to play along with this. "I am." His voice not very enthralled as he stated this to all around him.

"Awesome!" The man said, giving them a rather scary smile of fake joy. "My name is Toni and I will be showing you to your boat today! So, Mister Driver, have you ever driven a boat before?"

"The name is Kincad, Yukio Kincad and yes, I have." The man said simply, making Icarus snicker slightly while trying to make sure he kept his wings furled against his spine. "All we need are life jackets for the children and we will be good."

Toni frowned, a little dismayed by this bluntness and the fact that he wouldn't be able to give them the usual welcome speech he would give most people. "Oh, in a rush are we?"

"As a matter of a fact, yes." Icarus then said, Toni looking to him in a bit of surprise while Icarus gave him a wise look that basically told him to do just as Kincad had told him to. "So we would prefer it if you would quickly get what we asked for so we can be on their way."

Toni looked over the fourteen people, a little nervous about this sudden happening but nodding even so. "Alright, I will go do that." The man then walking into the office with his head lowered in a bit of confusion.

"Mr. Kincad?" The teacher turning to see Flynn speaking to him. "Are you sure it was a good idea to talk to him so directly? It seemed a little rude, don't you think?"

"Yes, I guess it was a little rude." Yukio nodded. "But, in a serious situation, we can't afford to lose time, which means if I need to be rude to get my point across, then I may just have to be rude."

Nobody could really argue with them at this point, knowing that this had happened to all of them. All of the teenagers nodding, seeming a little exhausted from the car ride that they had just endured.

"Alright, so I grabbed a bunch of life jackets for the little ones." Toni then leaving the building with life jackets in his arms, handing them to Kesai, Tsumi, Icarus and Shura. "Other than that, here are your keys and I guess you know how to do the rest."

"Yes, we do. Thank you very much for what you have done, Toni." Yukio said, voice now a bit warmer as he took the keys from the man.

Toni then nodded, raising a hand. "Have a good day, I guess." Then walking back into his office without another word.

"Alright, so shall we?" Kincad turning to the teenagers who nodded once more, the blond teacher than leading them to the rather nice speedboat that they were all renting for a while. They would be back soon enough, but when that was, none of them could be rather certain.

.

.

.

Tsumi had never been one to enjoy being treated like a little child, but he never hated it as much as when he was put in a life jacket like a little toddler. The child tugging at the collar of the floating device while the boat continued to glide through the waves of the ocean. "I hate this stupid thing, I can swim just fine."

"Tsu, it's against the law for you to ride on this thing without one." Kimiko muttered, finding herself growing more and more irritated with the child as time passed on. "So, even if you don't like it, you have to wear it."

Something was wrong with Kimiko, Kenja biting into his lip while he looked over the brunette with a slight frown. "Kimiko, are you feeling well?" The blond a little bit surprised that he got to say this when most people usually said this to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The girl muttered, sighing softly. "Why do you want to know?"

"You just seem a little different, I guess it was just that I misjudged something." Kenja muttered, looking away to see the somewhat hazed eyes of Kimiko on him.

"Yeah, well I'm fine." The brunette replied, sighing. "I-I'm just a bit tired…and a have a headache."

Now all people were looking at the girl, Kimiko looking around with a soft sigh. She didn't want to tell them what was wrong, that when she was sleeping on Kyo's shoulder, that he came to her once again.

That Xenolith came to her in a dream once more to tell her that he knew that she and all these friends were coming to get her and that he was very excited to meet them all. He was taunting, but seeming very excited, almost stimulated, when talking of Tsumi. She was left bitter, or seemingly mad, because of the haunting images this dream gave her. She wanted to protect Tsumi with all of her life, but she was afraid of Xenolith, she feared him more than anything and she knew he could do everything she was afraid of without even trying.

He was now in the near future and he knew it. He was looking forward to having them as guests in their castle and as he put it, he was ready to drown in the company that these others along with her and his purple gem would provide.

He was going to kill them all, something in her head told her this. She didn't want to die, not this early in life. Not at Xenolith's hand.

Not now, that she finally had something to live for in this miserable life of hers. She had friends and purpose and now all fate wanted to do was take this away from them.

It just wasn't fair.

.

.

.

"And there it is."

The island was now in view and the outline of a castle was growing into an actual building. The grey stones of a rather old timey castle filling in before the very eyes of every teenager. The only way in seemed to be a large wooden door, which was left wide open.

"It's like he knows we're coming to play." Cheshire muttered, frowning.

"I am sure he does." Flynn replied, studying the castle closely. "After all, he is a mind reader and controller."

The island was now close enough to touch, Kincad dropping anchor as he sighed softly. "Alright, we're here now. Welcome to the island of Xenolith, the castle of Puppet Master is straight ahead and inside is the man we have come here for."

Kimiko drew in a breath. "So, this is really it, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is the start of the fight that began this alliance." Kenja said gently, looking over the castle.

"The fight that convinced me to join this group." Kyo said.

"The fight that allowed me to meet you guys." Michael then added, smiling.

"The fight, the fight that I need to see happen before my eyes." Setsuna stated, words slightly stumbling through this statement.

"The fight that I am going to see happen while doing all I can to help." Flynn said.

"The fight that gave us a reason to stay with you." Aislinn said, pleased that she remembered why she had stuck around with these people, some of whom she didn't remember.

"The fight that allowed me to turn a few students I once was afraid I would have to make into enemies, into allies that I can be very proud of." Yukio added while Icarus nodded in agreement.

"The fight that we have to finish, the both of us." Kimiko said, turning to Tsumi who nodded before speaking. "The fight we need to go through so I can find out why he wants me, the fight to teach me what it really means to be the purple gem."

"Agreed. Now, let's go!"

"Right!"


	27. Xenolith's Control! Fighting friends?

_Hey Guys,_

_Here it is! Here is the chapter leading up to what I have wanted to do for so long. Something the original manga should have done at one point or another in this kind of way. Something I think it absolutely awesome! Get ready!_

_But anyways, before I send you off, quick update. I may not be able to write for the next few weeks and well, I have barely been writing at all. And I have HOCO, this Saturday and I am dying of excitement. So, big things coming up and hopefully good things to come._

_And so, without further ado, let's check in on our heroes._

_xKiha_

* * *

'_It looks like you have done as I have wished. Such a delicate flower you are. So poised and wise, and yet so easy to break with a simple touch. I haven't done such a thing yet, but only because I needed you to serve a purpose rather important to me. And just as I had figured, you fell right into my trap because of your need to know it all. Now look at where you are, just where I allowed you to be, because I knew you would bring friends. I knew you would bring those I find important in this mission. Now, all I need to do, is finish this for you all. I thank you for serving my purpose, but now it is the end for you, my darling. I no longer need you, not now that I have my Purple Gem and Blossom in my clutch. But, it would be rather pointless to simply release you. How about we play a game? A game where you fight to try and keep your sanity before it rips you apart and allows you to become my next weapon.'_

Kenja didn't want to hear this, not when walking through the mouth of Xenolith's stone castle, this large mouth being left wide open. It was all the more intimidating if anything, the idea of Xenolith knowing that they were there and wanting them to come inside was mortifying. He bit hard into his lip, trying to keep himself from screaming in anger thanks to this voice. He didn't want to be here anymore, but he had no choice.

"You okay? You're slowing down."

The sickly blond turned to see none other than Setsuna talking to him, the fire bookreader blinking before trying to think of something to say. "Of course I am alright, a little lost in thought." Forcing himself to smile reassuringly.

"You look pale." Setsuna then said, voice a little more harsh now that he stated this.

"Well, I assure you, that I am feeling fine." Kenja replied, continuing to force this smile on his face. On the inside, he was more than aware that Setsuna most likely didn't believe him, but there was nothing more he could do. He didn't want to tell the truth, he couldn't do that to the others.

It was then that his eyes drifted over to Kesai, the kitsune's ears pricked up and alert, but quite a bit of life seeming drained from his eyes. It was almost as if the fire demon was experiencing what he was, which only made Kenja more afraid of what was going to happen. He could feel his heart beating too fast for his own good, but he knew there was no way for it to calm down.

Something was more than a little wrong and this time it wasn't about the castle they were entering. It was about their own sanity, about the will that this duo that had been nothing but a disposable ploy had to survive through such a situation.

'_I am afraid that I may not be able to fight against mind control, not when I am in this condition. When I feel that my body could give way at any time and end my life here and now. But if anything, the last thing I would want is for Xenolith to be the one to take my life from this world.'_

.

.

.

Kimiko couldn't stop herself from inspecting everything in the room, but in the end this only made her all the more confused. She just didn't understand how this could look so different from what she expected it to be.

This castle wasn't ugly or destroyed, or even all that scary looking.

In fact, it was absolutely beautiful to look at.

The halls were all made of stone that must have been hard to place, judging by the designs and arrangements. The floor also stone, but completely even with beautifully painted red patterns giving it life. The doors all of white marble with garnished silk red curtains protecting the windows. It was a large maze, but the more they walked around, the less intimidated Kimiko felt.

This place was absolutely pleasant to look at.

"Do you think this was part of the plan?" Michael asked, looking around at their surroundings with a lopsided look.

"I doubt it." Flynn replied. "If anything, he probably just decorated it to inflate his ego or something. Didn't you say he was a little bit…foppish, Setsu?"

"Yeah." The ruby eyed teenager replied. Even in Xenolith's castle, he didn't want to talk about the Puppet Master or even really think about anything but him being destroyed. "A sadistic and murderous motherfucking fop."

Kenja looked over to him, raising an eyebrow at this. Well, did this mean what he thought it did? If so, then Tsumi may have to be afraid for another reason other than the one and this one would probably be the last thing anybody would want. Xenolith probably would make the worst kind of overly attached lover to have, almost making Kenja sick at the mere idea. However, this also made him wonder if Setsuna hated people with those preferences. Not foppish people, but those who pursued the same sex. God he hoped not, the last thing he wanted to do was be hated.

'_That's quite a bit of worry for a simple teenager. Don't you think so, darling?'_

Goosebumps ran up and down Kenja's body, causing him to draw in a sharp breath and take a step backwards. 'Go away!' He mentally screamed, trying to keep his composure and continue walking forward with the others. 'I do not need you here trying to mentally break me down. It's pathetic to think that you can so simply beat me!'

'_Rather harsh for one your age, don't you think? Well, never the mind, I simply wanted to remind you that there is no need worrying about this all. You'll be dead soon enough.'_

And that is when he felt the fingernails.

The sickly blond suddenly felt he couldn't breathe, the sensation of fingernails running up and down his throat mortifying him. He could feel every rough brush, but when he put his hands to his neck to remove them quickly, he found nothing there.

This couldn't just be another dream, could it? But this time, it felt so real, causing the blond to begin shaking like a Chihuahua.

"Kenja?"

The entire group had turned around to look at him, but it was Yukio Kincad that had spoken to him. The teacher had an eyebrow raised and a paternal tone in his voice. He didn't like where he was sure this was going, the teacher taking a step closer. "Are you feeling alright? You look sick."

"_I am_ _not sick_." Kenja growled, Kesai turning to look at his bookreader with his ears flat against his hair. The fire demon knew something was very wrong, reaching up and taking Kenja's hand. "Come on, it's okay. Don't be like that, we have to keep going." The cocky look in the kitsune's eyes somehow managing to bring down this anger and fear in the azure eyes of the sickly blond.

He would trust Kesai no matter what.

But in this moment of weakness and fear, nobody noticed the dark look in Kesai's forest green eyes. Nobody noticed the corruption.

.

.

.

"So, which way do you think we're supposed to go?"

The entire alliance of fourteen had begun walking the long and thick halls littered with multiple doors all leading to what they had discovered were baron rooms. Well, with the exception of one thing.

In the middle of every room, in a vial of what looked like blood, was a single purple rose.

Every time he saw one, Tsumi only wanted to scream. He knew that anything purple was most likely directed at him, which meant that Xenolith was trying to say something to him through this rose in a vial of blood. And whatever the message was, Tsumi was pretty sure he didn't like it.

"I don't think this will be an easy choice." Kyo muttered. The hallway they were now in branched off into a rather large one with multiple different doors leading to god knows where. It would take days to figure out which one was the right path, or at least if they could ever find their ways out of there properly.

"Maybe all but one is full of traps. Pick the wrong one and you'll find yourself torn in half or an arrow through your brain." Aislinn muttered while looking at every one of the doors blankly.

"She's making a joke, right?" Amera asked, her eyes becoming rather wide just at the idea of that being the case.

"I hope to god so." Kyo replied, knowing that he couldn't really tell his demon partner that Aislinn was completely wrong when he knew nothing about what to expect in this area. Nobody did, which made this all the scarier.

"Then how do we pick one?" Michael asked, his eyes also beginning to scan the doors. "It's not like we have enough time to try every single one and hope every time that we made the right choice."

"And splitting up won't be much of an option either." Shura finished. "We don't know what to expect, so going anything alone would be a possibly deadly risk."

Kimiko folded her arms, frowning with uncertainty. "This isn't looking good then, is it?" She wanted a clear answer, not the frightened confusion everybody was now feeling. "But, we've got to do something other than just stand here and hope something jumps out at us."

'_It's the center door, of course.'_

Kesai flinched, taking a step back and beginning to growl only for him to realize that this was none other than Xenolith speaking through his mind.

He didn't like this voice at all, ears flat against his head as he drew in a breath. The Puppet Master wanted them to be there to fight him, which meant he was probably getting the directions he wanted. "Guys, it's the center door." His voice meek and almost empty of all life.

"And what makes you say that?" Tsumi turning around to look at his friend, a little put off by the look of the mentally beaten kitsune.

He needed to say something that sounded real enough, drawing in a quivering breath before his hands went up to cover his nose. "Well, for one thing, I'm breathing in the rotten smell of some demons and it's coming from the center door. "

Various people began to exchange looks, Cheshire smiling gently. "Then we are going through the center door." The snow leopard knowing that Kesai's sense of smell was virtually flawless. But after seeing a demon take down another with his eyes closed because all he needed to do was trace her scent to see her, you'd have faith in the nose of that creature to.

"Are you both sure?" Kimiko asked, walking forward and placing her hands on the center door's knob.

"Of course."

"One hundred percent positive, Kimi."

The brunette didn't want to go against the both of them, pulling the polished gold knob down and opening the door. Eyes peering inside only to be met with what seemed to be just another hallway. It wasn't all too exciting, but since it didn't seem to be trapped either, nobody had anything to really gripe over. Safety would always be above all else and this place was no exception.

"I guess we'll be going this way then." Kyo shrugged, looking over all the other unsure others and taking the first step forward into the hall while Kimiko held the door open for all the others who soon followed after.

'Maybe I'll keep it open, just in case.' Kimiko entering the hall, taking one last look at the many doors and halls they had just gone through to get to this point. A deep paranoia filling every inch of her body before she took in a breath. 'Yeah, I'll leave it open just in case.' The girl beginning to follow the others.

However, after a few steps, everybody was startled by a slamming, causing Kimiko to yelp in shock. She turned around only to find the door completely shut. It couldn't have done that on its own, that just wouldn't be possible, the girl trying to regain her calamity while rushing to be closer to the others.

She couldn't think about all of the worst things possible right now, no, she had to keep fighting. She had to make sure she made it out of here along with the rest of her friends. This was all that really mattered, well that and destroying Xenolith.

However, right as the girl got over the idea of the door somehow slamming without the interference of any human, the lights suddenly went out. Kimiko covering her mouth to keep herself from screaming at the sudden darkness only for a thumping sound to ring out.

'_And now, you will fulfill the purpose you originally had. You will destroy everything in your path, because you're mine!'_

The lights snapped back on, everybody seeing that Kenja had fallen down and was now laying on the ground with eyes shut. Setsuna frowning as he noticed this, walking over. "Are you okay? Did you slip or something?"

'_You will burn all of the books except that of my Purple Gem. You may beat him, but do not destroy or kill him.'_

"Kenja?" Yukio now beside Setsuna, bending down to try and figure out what was happening to the ill freshmen and why he was suddenly unresponsive. "Can you hear us? If so, I need you to respond to my voice."

'_Now then, I believe we should awake soon. Now that your will to kill has grown into something rather impressive.'_

"Kesai, are you watching this?" Tsumi's voice getting desperate as he turned to the kitsune, who had his head lowered and eyes looking at the ground. "Kesai!?" The poison demon's hands now on the fire demon's shoulders as he began to shake him rapidly.

'_Now awake my perfect puppets, it's time to play with our friends in a very special way. Anything is allowed, darlings, as long as you remember not to destroy the gem that means quite a bit to me. Now, it's play time.'_

"Kenja?" Yukio placing his hand on the sickly blond's chest, feeling his heart beginning to pound rather fast as he frowned. The teacher's hand not leaving the teen's chest while he turned to look at the others. "Something is very wrong, his pulse is too fast for somebody who is unconscious."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kimiko asked, frowning.

And then, Kenja opened his eyes.

Everybody was greeted with an empty azure, all signs of life once in his eyes completely gone. He didn't do anything for a moment but breathe, but then turned to Yukio and Setsuna and smirking in a dark way that nobody understood. It was completely empty and yet, this smirk seemed to be hateful even with this lack of emotion.

"Oh God, no." Kimiko whispered as Kenja stood up, removing his orange book from his bag. "No, no, no, no! Not now, not when we're here of all places!"

"Kesai?"

The hazel eyes of Kimiko then turned to look at Kesai, the kitsune lifting his own head while Tsumi released a gasp of horror. "Not you too!"

Just like Kenja, Kesai's forest green eyes were completely empty. He looked just like every enemy they had been forced to take down before. The kitsune leaping up over the stunned demons and teenagers only to land on his feet beside Kenja. The eyes of both completely empty but seeming to almost glare at the other twelve members of the alliance.

"You have got to be kidding me." Aislinn muttered. "He's going crazy here of all places. We have a lot of more important things to worry about, but now they're choosing to go crazy."

"I don't think they're choosing to do this." Kyo said, taking a step back. "I have a feeling that they had no other choice."

The orange spellbook was glowing while Kenja braced his body to call out a spell. But this time, he was facing the people that he called his friends. The people he looked to with affections and cared about. This just wasn't right, but the blankness in Kenja's eyes told the story that even if the blond was there, he was completely helpless to stop what he was about to do.

"Hi-Ken!"

Kesai lept forward, flames leaving the open palms of the kitsune in a fast and heavy stream while Kimiko pulled her own book out. "Rerano!"

Right away their purple shield appeared and began spinning around the alliance, the flames being absorbed by the poison weapon quickly and efficiently. And soon enough, the fire was spit back out, this time mixed with a poison aura and singe to it.

Kesai was quick to dodge, having at least this much knowledge to himself. However, it seemed that Kenja wasn't given anything to do as he just stood there, blankly staring at the teenagers facing him. The flames blowing at him and burning off his pants from the knees down, causing his skin to take a ghastly shade of red thanks to the heat and poison.

"Oh god, Kenja." Setsuna watching in a bit of shock. He didn't know why, but he found himself caring about this quite a lot. He suddenly felt so helpless, watching this happen to Kenja and Kesai. One second here and the next minute, completely gone.

Just like Nora.

The teenager then shook his head, rubbing his temples in pain. He didn't want to think about that. No, he couldn't think about that. Not here and now when he should be focusing on the destruction of Xenolith instead.

"I can't do this." Kimiko whispered, shaking in her shoes. "I can't fight Kenja, let alone burn Kesai's book. They're our friends! It's wrong to do something like that, there just has to be another way to do this!"

"Kimi, there might not be any other choice."

The brunette turned to look at her partner, Tsumi having a very mature look in his eyes as he looked back at his bookreader. "We can't just let them suffer, because we both know that Xenolith will make them fight until they die of wounds or exhaustion. And we can't let that happen."

"I know," The poison bookreader replied, voice a little broken. "But, there's got to be another way that doesn't include burning their boo-"

"And what if there isn't another way?" Tsumi then asked, his maturity flowing. "What if they just keep on fighting until their bodies give out? Can we just let them suffer because they're our friends and it would be cruel to burn their book? Or would it be crueler to leave them to fight until death?"

"I-I can't burn their book, Tsumi. I can't."

"You might just have to."

Kimiko bit into her lip hard, turning and looking at the others who only gave her a serious and understanding look. They knew that she may have to do something like this and they understood.

"If there isn't anything else we can do, then we're going to have to face facts and fight." Kyo said softly, approaching the brunette and placing his hand on her shoulder. "And I know that of all people, you will be able to handle this like nobody else."

Kimiko bit into her lip, trying to keep herself from beginning to cry in fear of looking weak. "I understand."

She then held her book out in front of her body, sniffling as tears made themselves known on her thin cheeks. "I am so sorry, Kenja. It never should have come to something like this."

Tsumi nodded, bracing himself for the next spell they would have to unleash on those they knew as their friends. "We can only do this quickly and pray for the best."

"I know," Kimiko whispered, wiping her tears. "I know."

"Hi-Ken!"

"Rokuryo!"


	28. Fighting Fire! The fifth spell:Karoataka

_Hey Guys,_

_I know it's late, but I wanted to post the last chapter I have written before things get outta wack. I have band contests for the next few Saturdays in a row with a serious one this Saturday. Better now then a month from now._

_Anyways, I also had homecoming last night and it was a wonderful time! I hadn't been before and things were great. Sadly, there was only one problem with the otherwise flawless night and it was the chemistry between my date and I. We slow danced about three times and sadly, although he really wants to be something, I don't think I am ready for a relationship yet. I am not looking forward to saying that tomorrow and possibly hurting him. But I know that it would be even worse to date him and make him think I shared his feelings when I didn't. It will be hard, but it's for the best, so wish me luck! I'm going to need it._

_And without further ado, I give you a chapter that was half complete when on a cruise ship in July and finished on September 13th. Let's see what happens with poor Kesai and Kenja._

_Don't forget, as always if you have a new character idea or something to suggest or say, feel free to review or pm, I'll always respond! Demon Battle Rises is everybody's project, I'm just lucky enough to get to write it._

_xKiha_

* * *

"_Hi-Ken!"_

"_Rokuryo!"_

Kesai lunged at the poison duo as he unleashed his flames, Tsumi drawing in a breath as he jumped up into the air as well. The demon making sure that his body was protecting Kimiko's while the poison tipped throwing star appeared in his hand. Right away a powerful poison gas started filling the hallway, causing basically everybody to begin choking on the almost acidic air. However as this began to distract everybody around the poison demon, he threw the shuriken in a curve.

"Did he just miss?" Michael choked, hands covering his mouth tightly.

"No, he didn't." Kimiko muttered. "He's right on target."

It was then that a cold thump echoed through the hall, the member being struck with none other than the poison tipped shuriken. And then, the flames came forward, Tsumi narrowly dodging, breathing with nervousness and gratitude.

But right after a moment of pure relief, he remembered about Kesai, turning to see the friend he had that was now nothing but a puppet.

The weapon sticking out of the kitsune's side and shockingly, the fire demon barely seemed to react. He blankly stared at it for a few moments before ripping it from his skin and throwing it aside.

"Do you think, that somewhere on the inside, Kesai felt that?" Kyo muttered as he watched the kitsune tear the Rokuryo throwing star out of his side with a bloody squelch. Little to say, it sounded rather painful and yet Kesai never moved.

"It's possible." Amera said gently. "He could still be deep down there, somewhere on the inside of it all."

Kimiko couldn't help but catch their conversation, biting her lip and trying not to think about it. She knew all too well that Kesai could in fact feel pain in this state, Juri had taught her that. But, Juri had been a regular woman, at least to a certain extent, this time was rather different when she looked at it. "Tsumi, do you think we could avoid the other three spells?"

"Huh?" The child looking to her in shock, mouth opening rather wide in surprise. "Why wouldn't I use my spells at a time like this?"

He then turned to see Kimiko, biting at the tender flesh of his lower lip. "You just don't want to hurt our friends as much as possible, right?" Seeing her nod and biting harder into the flesh. "But, they've already been poisoned by the shuriken."

"And isn't that enough?" The brunette whispered, shaking in her shoes. "That process of the poison destroying you, isn't that painful enough?"

Tsumi couldn't find any words to explain what was running through his head, forcing himself to nod slowly even though all of a sudden he wasn't sure how to feel or even what to do. God, this was all so wrong in the end and yet, every option they seemed to come across always had a rather huge downfall that made him question everything he did and every choice he made.

"Hi-Ken!"

Although he was almost always on top of things, Tsumi turned in shock when he heard the fire spell being called, whipping around to look at Kenja only to find that Kesai was gone. Or at least he was completely out of sight.

And just like that, when searching for the now enemy, Tsumi noticed a shadow moving all around him at an amazing pace. He couldn't quite follow it, be the red blur it left behind told him just who this shadow was.

It left him shaking in his shoes if only because of the fact that his enemy had an incredible speed to him. He just couldn't follow this demon, let alone the red blur he left behind with every dash he made.

"He's faster than I ever figured he would be." Icarus muttered as he watch the kitsune move in a way that gave off the illusion that he was simply teleporting around. "I can barely follow every step."

"Then imagine what Tsumi's going through right now." Yukio Kincad replied. "I doubt the child could land a hit right now unless Kesai really slowed down."

"Well, that really is something to lift our spirits." Icarus muttered.

Kimiko continued to watch in shock, looking to Kenja who just continued to stand there. He was leaning against the wall behind him a bit only because of the burns left on his legs. He seemed to be completely consumed in this entrancement that the brunette could not explain. She didn't like it one bit, but she wasn't sure she could do anything.

"Naegi!"

As if right on cue, something else came from Kenja's mouth. A spell nobody in the alliance had ever seen or heard of before, which only made Kimiko swallow. The worst thing was a spell you didn't know.

Because in the end, the only advantage the poison duo had in this fight was the fact that they knew what to expect from the fire duo. But now even this had been botched.

Kesai was still rushing around the stone hallway, Tsumi drawing in a shaking breath while he tried to focus on two things at once. The upcoming spell and Kesai in general.

And then all of a sudden, the kitsune stopped dead in his tracks.

Right in front of Tsumi.

"Kesai?" The poison demon whispered, a little surprised when he found the empty and lifeless green eyes of the kitsune on him. Something just didn't feel too right about this as the child bent down and picked up a small pebble from the stone ground. "Uh, Kesai? What are you doing?" Tsumi dumbfounded after hearing the sound of a spell being called only to find that no spell was now in play. Or maybe he just couldn't see it, the child beginning to look around him.

But he found absolutely nothing wrong.

"Ow." While distracted, Kesai had flicked the pebble onto Tsumi's cheek with a delicate amount of force, the child turning to look at him in confusion. What would compel the fire demon to do something like that?

"Is Xenolith trying to mock us?" Kimiko asked. "Why is there no spell and why would Kesai just helplessly flick a little stone at Tsumi?"

"I don't think he's mocking anybody." Yukio taking a step closer to try and get a better look at what was currently unfolding before them. "Something is clearly wrong here and I have a feeling that we're going to see that in a moment."

Kesai stood up, turning around and walking back over to Kenja's side with his blank eyes not even attempting to look at any member of the alliance. And during this, the sickly blond just continued to stand there on slightly burned legs, blank azure eyes seeming to be focused on the nothingness his real self was most likely submerged in as they all watched.

"I don't get it." Kyo mumbled. "Where is the strategy for all of this? To buy more time or just to enter-"

Before Kyo could even finish his question, Tsumi let out a scream like nothing his partner had ever heard from him before. Kimiko looking to him in shock with wide questioning eyes as he turned around, causing his own bookreader to gasp in her own shock.

"Make it stop!" Tsumi had ripped his cloak off to reveal a small plant stem beginning to grow from his chest. It had pushed its way through his black shirt and now was beginning to sprout tiny buds. The child shaking in fear and trying not to burst into tears when he found that the buds weren't leading to more leaves on this horrifying plant, but to what seemed to be tiny vines.

The vines were growing at an incredible rate and before the child could even try to think of a way to free himself from the plant sprouting from his own skin, it was too late. Tsumi found his body covered in small but thick vines that began to strangle his body, causing a sharp pain to run through him that he didn't want to put a lot of thought into. "Make it stop!" He howled, opening his mouth to complain more only to find something rather astounding happening.

His entire body had begun to glow a sharp purple and so had both members of the fire duo.

And then all of a sudden, Tsumi found himself feeling rather weak. The child wanting to sit down and rest or better yet curl up and take a nap, not fight. But how could this be so? He hadn't used a lot of his energy, had he?

"This can't be happening." Kimiko whispered, watching Tsumi get down onto his knees while his breathing began to grow rapid. All of this while Kenja stood up straight, the rather red burns on his legs suddenly seeming to be able to patch themselves up without a single thought in the world. The blond looked so much better, as if the poison that had eaten at his leg had never been there to begin with. And while this happened, the strong purple aura around Tsumi was beginning to flicker and fade while it grew much more radiant and bright around the fire users under the spell of their enemy.

"It's an energy sapping spell." Shura growled. "These two are directly sapping Tsumi's energy from his own body to use it as their own."

"You have got to be kidding me." Flynn groaned. "They can do that?"

"And yet, they couldn't preform an act like that back when it could have been useful when fighting Lavender." Cheshire muttered. "They can do that when they become our enemies, no less."

Kimiko just seemed to be completely frozen in place, taking a step back while Tsumi lifted his head to look back at his partner. He forced himself to smile, even though it wasn't much of a positive look and it was obvious that he was in pain and not the contented person he was trying to look like. His voice then left his lips, sounding a lot weaker most likely thanks to the vines. "We still have to fight, so don't freak out."

"Tsumi, you don't have the energy to keep fighting, they took it all." The brunette whispered. However, to her own shock, the child raised his hand to wave her words off.

"Don't you start giving up on me!" The child growled, forcing himself back up onto his feet and struggling to keep his balance with a wobble before straightening his spine with vigor. "You know just as well as I do that we're not going to let the loss of energy be what causes us to lose another fight! That I am going to keep fighting no matter what. And that means with or without your help."

The poison bookreader took another step back, in a bit of surprise as she held their purple book close to her chest and tightly. "There are some things that we just can't do, even if we want to."

"And there are times to give up." Tsumi growled, trying to pull the plant stem from his chest only to wince. The thing was deeply rooted in his skin and he doubted he would be able to get it out with tearing something rather badly. "But, when it comes to helping our friends, there is never a time to so willingly. If we give up here, then we won't have the strength to take down Xenolith. I don't think he'd let us simply give up right in front of him."

And while Kimiko nodded, she neglected to even look at her book, which was giving off a dull purple light while the two spoke to each other. "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right."

And it was then that Tsumi's small fingers wound around the plant stem, clenching his eyes tight before ripping the thin thing right out of his skin. The vines withered as the stem hit the ground without so much as a sound, but thanks to the splatter of blood now on the stone ground, it was rather obvious that what the poison demon had done was painful. "Now then." He looked at Kimiko with a soft smile of both reassurance and confidence. "Let's do this the right way and not let a single person stand in our way!"

"Alright."

"Hi-Ken!"

Kenja had shouted this almost automatically, Kesai leaping up into the air with amazing speed as flames shot out of his palms. Using his speed, he released the flames while running in a circle quickly around the poison duo. Kimiko flinching in fear while clutching her own book. "Rerano!"

The purple shield appeared once again, surrounding them and repelling the flames that had attempted to burn them. The alliance hiding behind the spell as it created acidic flames, sending it back at Kesai and Kenja who this time both stood completely still.

And when the others turned to see what had happened to the fire duo after the shield faded into absolute nothingness, they found the two still standing. Kenja and Kesai covered in burns and dripping in the acid that had merged with the flames, the poison hitting the ground and hissing in reaction.

Kincad couldn't even look, Kimiko's teeth sinking into her lower lip as she tried not to think about the pain her friends would be in as she forced herself to open her book. She couldn't stand by and do nothing anymore! It was time to save the both of them. But as she opened the book, her eyes widened.

There weren't four spells anymore. No, there were five!

Kesai sprung up, the kitsune's burned legs being forced to create a still rather quick dash. Tsumi trying to keep his eyes on the fire demon who used his speed to his advantage and put his foot right into the chest of the poison demon.

"Tsumi!" Kimiko called as her partner groaned in pain, getting back to his feet. "There's another spell!"

"Really?" He asked, purple eyes trying to make sure they followed every moment that Kesai made but found himself unable to properly do so thanks to the speed of his enemy. "U-Use it!"

The brunette nodded, clutching their book tightly to her chest in the hopes that whatever this new passage was, it would be able to save their friends. She swallowed. Here goes nothing. "The fifth spell! Karoataka!"

Kesai had stopped for only a moment, the kitsune folding his arms and seeming to watch Tsumi with his lifeless eyes. Xenolith must have been watching through Kesai's forest green eyes, there was no other explanation.

"What do you think this spell could do?" Kyo asked, watching with intent as Amera shrugged gently. "Nobody, not even Tsumi himself, knows. This could turn out to be a saving grace, or nothing but a strategic move."

"It better be able to do something." Setsuna growled, Flynn looking to his friend with a lifted eyebrow. All of a sudden, the raven haired teen looked so stressed out and this hadn't started until the fire duo had found themselves overtaken by Xenolith. But the doctor in training couldn't be sure if this was stress thanks to remembering what Xenolith had once done to Nora, or for a reason even he himself couldn't really understand.

Kimiko clenched her hands tightly on the spine of her spellbook, closing her eyes with concentration. _'Please, just do something!'_

And then it happened. Right before Tsumi's eyes, a small item resembling a shot appeared before him. The poison demon swallowing slowly and taking a hold of it, studying the dark purple liquid inside of the glass. One thing echoed in his head and it told him to give himself the shot, poison purple eyes looking to his bare right arm and swallowing slightly. He had to do something and if this was the only thing, he'd do it.

"Tsumi?" Kimiko asked, her voice holding worry and concern as she watched his hand get closer to his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine!" He shouted, stabbing the needle into his flesh and letting out a shout of sudden pain while forcing himself to press the liquid into his body. Kimiko gasping as she looked back to the other members of the alliance who watched her in just as much surprise.

The poison demon then ripped the shot out of his body, watching it hit the ground and face into nothingness as he took in a deep breath. Whatever he had just done didn't seem to be very quick.

Or was it?

Right as he began to think nothing of what he had just done, Tsumi found himself filling with energy, tightening his fists to see muscles ripple just at his flex. "W-Woah…" He whispered to himself, chucking with contentment at this new discovery. He felt so energetic! So powerful! Maybe even fast enough to do what needed to be done.

Kesai's blank and empty eyes continued to just watch his friend, but for the first time he blinked. And as he did, what looked like tears began to well up in his eyes.

The only problem was the color of said tears.

Icarus had taken the time to examine their opponents while Tsumi began to discover what this new spell could really do, lifting an eyebrow as he looked over the both of them. "Tears of blood?"

Kincad turned to his partner. "What now?"

"Yukio, look at them."

The teacher blinked, looking up at his student and the kitsune only to gasp ever so slightly. Streaming from the cheeks of the both of them were what should have been tears, but instead of leaving streaks of salty water, blood red trails were left as red stained the whites of their eyes. "My word. How is this possible?"

"I don't know. But if I had a guess I would tell you that on the inside, these two are fighting their own battle while taking the hits from a fight they never wanted to be involved in." Icarus replied with a sigh, turning a way. "It's truly tragic, because something like this never should have been able to happen."

And as they talked, Kimiko had taken the time to notice what was happening, remembering about what had happened to Juri. Real tears began to well up in her eyes, unable to take any more of this as she clenched her fists. "Tsumi, do it quickly!"

The poison demon nodded as he rushed forward, getting closer to Kesai who lept into action. The fire demon still having rather incredible speed, but was slowed thanks to almost destroyed legs. The poison demon against him using this new energy to increase his own speed, rushing at his enemy with a yell of jumbled emotions. "XENOLITH!"

Tsumi then jumped forward, leaping onto his friend and sending them both to the ground, Kesai choking out blood at the impact onto the stone. The poison demon forcing himself to turn Kesai around, seeing the face of his friend and feeling his own tears beginning to sting the back of his eyes.

_Kesai was crying._

But, Kesai never cries, or at least does his best never to.

The poison demon raised his fist, fingers clenched tightly as he tried to keep himself from bursting into tears. "I-I'm so sorry, I never wanted to do anything like this." His voice breaking as his tears began to slip down his cheeks. "But, there isn't anything more I can do for you and Kenja."

Blood red tears continued to run down the face of his friend, Kimiko slowly creeping up behind Kenja as she continued to cry. Tsumi letting out a scream of anguish before smashing his fist into the Kitsune's cheek, blood beginning to stain his tightly clenched fingers as he send his fist down once more.

It seemed everybody couldn't look at this, Tsumi crying as he looked to Kesai who only looked back up at him with his blank eyes. "Please, just come back! I can't fight you anymore!" Shaking his friend as he continued to cry. "Please! Come back!"

Kimiko finally couldn't take it, standing before Kenja and taking a hold of their book. She had to do this, trying to keep her vision as she tried to hold back all of her tears. "I-I'm sorry, Kenja…I am." Ripping the novel from his burned palms, the force of this making her fall as she hit the ground. It didn't even occur to her if it hurt or not, a deep laughing beginning to fill her ears.

'_Blossom. Oh, my dearest blossom. Your struggle has been good entertainment, but this has begun to bore me. I guess the opener will finish now.'_

Kimiko began to feel that cold sensation of hands around her neck again, goose bumps spreading across her body as the voice echoed in her ears. "Xenolith!"

Everybody looked at their friend in shock, not sure why she was screaming and what was happening. Oh no, don't say that she is under his spell now too!

'_Indeed. But now this part of the game is over. I've seen enough emotional strategy to bore me to death. So, let the real games begin. Let our good friends return to us all so we can have some proper fights before you end up destroying one another in just another battle royale. Let us play.'_


	29. Kenja and Kesai wake! The Room a Trap?

_Hey Guys!_

_Well, it's been a while and honestly, I'm exhaustedly finishing this chapter and posting it right away because I feel you all deserve it and I have a lot to say so well, yeah! _

_First off, this chapter should have been out a lot quicker, but I had three things in my way. The first is school, which I can't help. The second is I got my copy of Pokémon Y over the week and have been playing it when I can. Just beat the third Gym and unlocked Mega Evolution! Not to mention I have a perfect team of six and a boxed Eevee to evolve into my favorite Pokémon after I beat the game! _

_Third one is of course band, which is keeping me busy and exhausted lately! I came home from a marching contest about two hours ago and am ready to fall over and sleep for the rest of the weekend. Sadly, no finals this time but the future is bright! We go to Area next Saturday which is a big contest because if we advance further, band history for my school which has never gone past area! Plus, if we don't make it to state, I owe a Senior quite a lot of Kit Kat bars. There goes my bank account._

_And before I go, could you do me a favor? An Rping buddy who I have become rather close to just kind of disappeared on Tuesday. We said goodnight and see you on Monday as we always do and he never came back. He's struggling a lot with things like depression and stress and I couldn't handle if something happened to him. So if you could just keep him in your thoughts, maybe he really will be safe and come back soon! Miss you JAC (I'd use his real name, but I think he'd be mad if I did. BTW, He's Jac Bandit on Fanfiction if you want to look him up) and see you soon!_

_Anyways, I'm sure you are sick of my rambling so I'll go now, but please enjoy this new chapter! Love you all and thanks you for letting me continue to write your project!_

_xKiha_

* * *

As the resonating laugh of Xenolith echoed in her ears, Kimiko tried to keep herself from bursting into tears just from shock alone. "That's enough!" Everybody else in the alliance turning to look at the leader, not sure what to think anymore. Was she also under the spell? Were they going to have to fight her too?

The brunette was trying to keep herself from going into hysterics, looking at the orange spellbook under her arm and sniffling. "K-Kenja." God, she still couldn't do it. Turning to look at her friend with her teeth cutting into the thin skin of her lip.

Her hazel eyes fell onto the body of her sickly friend, seeing the burnt and eaten away legs and arms first before looking to his face. Cheeks stained with the dried remains of bloody tears that this shell was able to weap. His eyes, those eyes usually holding honest emotion, completely empty. God, he was probably in so much pain right now. Pain she had to cause him.

She couldn't do it.

'_Oh, save your tears, my blossom.'_ The cold hands returned, running up her neck. _'The game is over.'_

"W-What do you mean?" She cried, now finally able to burst into tears. "This isn't a game!"

She couldn't break from Kenja's blank stare, studying close before seeing something that was puzzling. His eyes, as if for a moment, held completely real emotion.

"Kenja?" Kimiko whispered.

"Yukio." Icarus studying the face of the broken teenager, he had seen the flicker as well. "You don't think that this might have just been to stall us, do you?"

"It's possible." He said. "I would not put it past him."

It was then that something shocking happened; Kenja blinked.

"Kesai?" Tsumi had been sitting on the chest of his friend, ready to quickly end him only to find true emotion seeming to fade in. "Is that you?"

The kitsune blinked, everything sinking in as he suddenly broke into tears. Tsumi gasping as he got off his usually unemotional friend. Was he hurting him?

"Kesai?" He whispered, looking over his wounds. "Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry." He sobbed, hands covering his face. "I'm so sorry!"

Nobody knew where to look as the life began to return to Kenja's azure eyes. He gasped for air, finding his body unstable as he lost his balance.

"Kenja!" Kimiko catching her friend and helping him sit against the cold stone wall of the hallway. He was shaking like mad. "Are you okay?" She whispered, hoping he wasn't going into shock. "Please, say something!"

"It's so cold." The sickly blond shuddered, arms wrapped around his frail body. "So cold."

.

.

.

It was ten minutes of horrified silence before the fire duo was able to speak, the rest of the alliance crowded around them as Flynn looked over Kenja's legs. "Do they hurt?" His worst fear bring nerve damage.

"Yes." Azure eyes staring at the acidic burns on his body. "It's somewhat unbearable."

Flynn nodded, taking a step back only to bump into Setsuna, who seemed to be rather close to the blond. He had an on edge look to him that made Flynn wonder just how much his friend really cared about this Freshman.

And Kesai was no better, body garnished in wounds thanks to the fight. He was still aggressively wiping his eyes, rubbing the skin raw in an attempt to hide that he cried.

"There isn't much I can do." Flynn sighed. "Burns can't be fixed easy, but they should be looked at right away."

"Hold on, we can help."

Everybody looked to Kyo, instantly curious. "How?" Flynn asked with a raised brow.

"I was going to surprise you guys, but Amera and I have three spells now and the third is, well, a healing spell."

"No way!" Shura said.

"Impressive." Icarus nodded.

Amera slightly blushed, looking away. "It isn't too incredible, but it works well."

"Care to give it a try?" Flynn asked, taking a step away from Kenja.

"Of course."

"We'll do it."

The pair looked to one another with a slight nod, not having used this spell more than once before. Amera getting close to Kesai, the kitsune looking up at her with fragility and turmoil. "Hush now, this won't hurt, nor will it take long." She bent down.

Kesai nodded, his ears flat against his skull. "Okay." He shook with nervousness, watching her slowly take his chin so they could be closer.

Kyo opened his book. "Jioreido!"

Amera had a concentrated look in her eyes, slowly exhaling as a pink and glittery mist left her mouth, Kesai's sensitive nose picking up a sweetness he found himself fond of.

"That's what a healing spell looks like?" Micheal asked, cocking his head.

"Guess so." Kimiko replied, watching with her own eyes wide as the mist began to surround the kitsune who continued to breathe it in.

And then, it began to take effect.

The completely burned and pussy legs of Kesai Nensho suddenly seemed to react to the mist, the skin beginning to take proper shape once again as it began to heal before the very eyes of the alliance. The burns and bruises all over his body beginning to follow in the footsteps of his legs as everything began to patch itself up, Kesai's ears pricked with surprise as he studied his healing form.

And soon, it was done, Kesai smirking as he stood up. "Back to full strength!" He laughed, slightly flexing his body. "You'd never even know I was basically at death's door a moment ago."

"It seems that proved effective." Kesai's ears drooping right away when he remembered his partner, looking to Kenja who really did seem to be barely there now that he looked at him. "I'm glad."

"Can you do it again?" The fire demon asked, his joy now gone. "You can help Kenja, right?"

"Kesai, I'll be f-"

"Shut up." Everybody surprised by the growl that left Kesai's throat, turning to Amera and Kyo with a serious look in his eyes. "Can you use the spell again?"

"We have never needed to, but I am sure that we can." Amera insured, a peace giving look in her gentle grey eyes. "Kyo, would you be kind enough to read the spell once more?"

"Y-Yeah." Kyo said, opening their spellbook once more. "Of course."

Amera smiled, bending down beside Kenja with her gentle voice soothing. "You have nothing to worry about, there won't be any pain involved in this."

"Jioreido!"

Once again, the gentle hands of Amera guided the chin of a fire user to her mouth so he could inhale the pink mist that left her throat. Kenja knowing what to do as he began to breathe in the spell with focus tightening his face muscles.

And just like it had with Kesai, the ravaged and burned body of Kenja began to repair itself before the many pairs of eyes watching this unfold before sickly blond biting hard into his lip at the feeling of his skin beginning to reattach itself to the flesh of his legs which began to heal while the burns once there disappeared. He had never felt anything like it before, not sure what he thought of it or even what to say, azure eyes watching this happen in a flurry of confused emotions.

And as soon as it was over, Kenja found himself gasping for a bit of breath. Looking up at the sound of footsteps getting closer to him and figuring he would see Yukio or Flynn going to make sure that he was going to be okay, almost gaping at the sight of none other than Setsuna approaching the blond.

"Is Setsuna feeling alright?" Kimiko whispered to Flynn in a bit of surprise.

"I wish I knew." Flynn sighed. "But he won't tell me anything."

Kenja tried to keep himself from appearing too weak as he looked up at the standing Sophomore, not sure what to say as he studied the ruby red eyes of Setuna Yuuki.

"You're okay, right?" Setsuna offering Kenja his hand so the fire bookreader could get used to his legs once more.

"Of course." Kenja looked away, but took the hand.

The older teen helped the blond up, but took a step forward so he could find Kenja's ear amongst the long blond locks. "Don't lie to me, I know you're not." His voice both concerned and cold, giving the Freshmen goose bumps. "Just, don't over work yourself. Okay?"

He swallowed, but brought himself to nod. "O-Okay. I won't."

All the while, Kyo turned to Kimiko and Kesai, nervously smiling. "I'm sure we can heal you guys too."

"It's fine." The poison demon waving off the boy with a reassuring grin of his own. "It's just a few scratches, right Kimi?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Kimiko nodded. "We've had a lot worse before."

Amera looked them both over with a slight frown of her own. "Are you sure you will be fine."

The poison duo nodded, not really thinking anything of the wounds they had. Or rather Kimiko wasn't.

Tsumi had his cloak on once more, so nobody could see the wound left on him from the plant Kesai had created. He could feel hot, stick blood pulsating from his peck, but couldn't bring himself to say anything about it. They didn't have time to waste, which meant that for now, he could live with a little wound dribbling blood.

He couldn't waste another moment in this castle where Xenolith could easily shatter his world with a flick of the wrist.

.

.

.

Kimiko drew in a breath as the group of fourteen began to head through the hallways and continue on through the castle of Xenolith. She wasn't sure how to feel at this point, going through this deep sinking with fear mixed in with it along with the gentle taste of optimism trying to stay on her lips. "Hey, Setsuna?" Her voice a bit meaker now that she was speaking to the one member of the alliance she didn't think of as a close friend since they had barely interacted.

"What?" He mumbled, hands jammed in his pockets as he walked alongside Flynn, eying Kenja from time to time.

"I know that you came here to watch Xenolith's destruction, but well, what did he do to you to get you to hate him so much?" Her voice wavering, not all too sure how his response would come and what emotions to expect with it.

Kenja's curious azure eyes glanced at Setsuna, unfamiliar eyes of men and women he didn't know well making him all the more irritable. "Doesn't matter."

"But what if it does?" Kimiko asked, continuing to walk but slowing her pace so she could get closer to the sophomore. "What if it contains important information that would help us take him down?"

"If it did, do you really think I'd keep it a secret?" Setsuna growled. "If it was crucial, I would have told you."

Kimiko bit into her lip. "I-I guess you're right." Voice growing softer with nervousness.

"Hey! Look at this!"

The poison bookreader turned at the sound of Michael calling out, turning to see the ending of the long hallway and cupping her hands over her mouth. "Is something wrong?"

"Not sure." The lightning bookreader replied, seeming to be studying whatever it was that was beyond the hallway.

By now Kyo was getting a proper look of whatever it was, lifting an eyebrow. "Some kind of game?" He asked, Micheal shrugging and saying something that Kimiko couldn't make out as she ran ahead to catch up with the boys, Tsumi doing the same as they got a glimpse of what lied ahead.

It was a large room, seeming to have three different stone barriers in the center of the room along with many hollowed out circles in the walls. It wasn't very clear on what exactly it was supposed to be, but that might have been the plan when it came to Xenolith's plans.

If anything, it probably didn't make sense because it didn't want to. It wanted to be ambiguous so they would struggle to understand what was going on until it was too late to make a good choice.

'_Whatever is the matter blossom? I can feel you hesitating as I speak. Go on, it should be safe.'_

Kimiko tried her hardest not to cry out or even give the slightest impression that somebody was speaking to her that nobody else could see, gritting her teeth down. "It's some kind of trap."

"Figures." Kyo sighed. "Guess nothing is going to be normal around here."

By now the others had caught up, Cheshire's silver eyes assessing the situation with a slight growl. "It's those circles."

"The circles?" Kimiko relayed, looking to the snow leopard in surprise.

"Yes, it's more than likely that these circles shoot projectiles at will." Cheshire said simply, thinking nothing of it. "Which would usually mean we should destroy them right away, but since they are in the wall unless we want the castle to collapse with us inside of it, that is not an option."

Tsumi nodded slowly. "If we can't take them out, what should we do?"

"I am not sure, but those walls might come in handy as barriers to protect us."

"Think it could be a trap?" Kyo asked, looking to the poison bookreader who seemed to be completely focused on the room. "Kimiko?"

She snapped out of her trance, turning to her fedora wearing friend and biting into her lip. "I-I wouldn't put it past him. But, something makes me wonder if the room itself is a trick."

"It may be." Icarus suddenly said, both of the teenagers turning to look at the holy demon who seemed to be studying the room as well. "This might be here to deceive us, or maybe as something to buy the Puppet Master some time."

Kincad took a step forward. "Icarus, would you care to test out your theory?"

"Naturally." The angel unfurling his wings, allowing them to spread to their natural length as he slipped through the other teenagers and stood before the door.

"Mister Kincad?" Kimiko's voice wavering. "Are you sure you should let Icarus do this? What if he gets hurt?"

"He will be fine, he's not the type to do something unless he knows he will succeed." Yukio said, but seemed to be holding his golden book just in case of a sudden situation. Even he knew on the inside that nothing could be properly predicted in this place.

Icarus then jumped, his wings filling with air as he entered the room airborne, eyes narrowed with focus as he began to fly through the room. And nothing seemed to change; the lighting was consistent and no loud alarms seemed to be going off when he entered.

The holy demon swallowed as he got closer to the hollowed out circles in the wall, looking at them carefully from a distance before forcing himself to feel enough boldness to get closer. "Over here!" He taunted, almost seeming like the little kid he was for a moment, nervously chuckling as he waved his arms.

But, nothing was happening as he did this.

"Is it nothing but a trick?" Yukio Kincad called.

"I believe so!" Icarus shouted back, flitting closer to the holes as he looked inside, or at least tried too thanks to the darkness cased inside the holes. "I don't see anything!" Sticking his arm in the hole to confirm it and finding that his hand touched nothing at all.

He turned around, a smile on his face. "All clear, we should be fine."

Kincad nodded to Kimiko, who released a sigh of relief. "Then we might as well keep going ahead, since he's not pulling anything."

The others seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking over one another before back to Icarus who seemed to be doing just fine as he continued to fly over the stones for a moment and motion to the others. His soft eyes seeming more than a little trustworthy, which of course made it all the easier to believe that this really was nothing but a trick room.

Tsumi and Kimiko were quick to take their position as leaders and at the front of the group, exchanging glances before nodding to one another and taking the first step into the room. Kimiko could practically hear her heart beating from anticipation and fear for what might come out of this, her foot hitting the stone ground.

Nothing happened.

Her hazel eyes met Tsumi's purple ones, the child giving her a wide smile before taking another step and then another. "It's safe." He called to the others. "Icarus was right, this was just meant to trip us up."

The others nodded slowly as the alliance began to file into the room, Aislinn beginning to look around with a slight smirk. "Pretty smart, isn't it? To make nothing seem frightening enough to make people worry like we did."

"Smart indeed." Kincad nodded, crossing his arms. "But, we'd best hurry. Wasting time isn't something we should be doing."

"Took the words out of my mouth." Kimiko smiled as she began walking, her eyes then falling onto the three walls and cocking her head. "Hey, what do you think those are for?"

"Another trick?" Flynn said, but wasn't too sure himself while Kimiko nodded with her own uncertainty. It made enough sense and she just wasn't in the mood to question anything at this point as that obviously wouldn't help when anything could happen at any moment.

Little to say, they simply began walking through the room without a thought. But, this being Xenolith's castle, nothing could remain normal for too long and this was no acception.

A sharp laughing started to fill the room, a laugh that both the poison and fire duo along with Flynn all knew too well. This being the laughing of Xenolith.

"N-No." Kimiko whispered, beginning to shake in her shoes. "It's a trap!"

"W-What!?" The others cried, looking to her as they realised they were all in between separate walls with only a companion or two beside them.

"A-A trap!" Kimiko shouted, looking around and trying to figure out what was going to happen before her very eyes as a cracking sound began to resonate through her ears.

"The floor!" Shura shouted.

Before anybody could react or even try to process what was just said, the floor under each of the walls began to fall, causing these different bookreaders and partners to begin tumbling through darkness.

The only problem?

Each wall was there to separate people, meaning that each collapsed floor led to a different part of the castle.

Kimiko and Tsumi along with Aislinn, Cheshire and Flynn in one group.

Kyo and Amera with Micheal and Shura in the second.

And Kincad, Icarus, Kenja, Kesai and Setsuna in the last.

A sharp laughing filled the ears of the alliance, nobody certian if this would be the fall that would bring them to their deaths or if this was just another thing that Xenolith did to keep himself amused.

_'And now, my darlings, I would like you to meet my friends and play another game. This one has a simple objective; try to avoid being destroyed by those I have ordered to kill you. But beware, behind one of my doors lies my greatest creation, a beast unlike any other that is just dying to play with some new toys.'_


	30. Xenolith's first room! Raiden!

_Hey Guys,_

_It hasn't been too long since I last updated, probably only four or so days but well still been feeling a bit tired, which is probably why this chapter isn't too perfect. But what can you do?_

_Anyways, I've beaten Pokémon Y, I finished it yesterday and although my only complaint is that it was too easy, I can't help but wish there was more now that I beat the Elite Four and Champion. But this game did give me the chance to finally build what I would call the absolutely perfect team, I couldn't have beaten the game so easily without them; Delphox named Yoko, Talonflame named Sterling, Gogoat named Skipper, Florges named Fleur, Heliolisk named Nimbus and Blastoise named Shion. Perfect team, perfect run through._

_In other news, thank you all for the thoughts of my buddy, JAC was able to message me yesterday through a school computer and explain his current situation, being a serious and ongoing power outage at home that is still keeping him from me. What more can I say but at least he is safe and until he returns, I'll try to spend my usual writing sessions with him working on this little fic instead._

_As always remember that if you ever have anything to say feel free to review or pm me with a character idea or a criticism you feel needs to be said. Any feedback is good feedback as long as it's said in a mature and literate way. See you soon, hopefully,_

_xKiha _

* * *

From one side of the castle, the dream and poison duos along with Flynn Fukisa landed on what seemed to be some kind of cushion. The sharp laughing of Xenolith filling the small hallway that they were now trapped in.

"Make it stop!" Kimiko shouted, covering her ears but finding that this wasn't very effective as by this point she heard his laughter even when he was completely silent.

Cheshire growled, sitting up as she looked at the cushion they were laying on, growling. "Is this some form of a joke? Making a fatal fall and landing on a pillow?"

"It's ridiculous." Aislinn nodded as she sat up along with Flynn who seemed to be in quite a bit of shock that all of this really was happening. "But, it's still not surprising."

Tsumi began to sit up, whimpering as he covered his chest with nervousness. God, it hurt so much and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to hide this from everybody else. His cloak was beginning to slightly drip with the blood his torn skin was secreting.

"Sumi?" Kimiko began to calm, seeing her demon partner beginning to stand and slightly stumble. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing." He nervously glanced away.

However, just at the sound of somebody asking if another was okay, Flynn Fukisa grew alert and quickly turned to look at the nervous Tsumi who seemed to want to avoid the eyes of everybody around him.

Drip.

Drip.

_Drip._

Flynn's eyes looked to the cloak of the poison demon, frowning instantly. "You're bleeding." Tsumi biting into his lip and trying to keep avoiding Flynn's eyes. "Tsumi, come here."

Kimiko was now alert, shocked to hear Flynn sternly speaking to her partner but shocked to find that he was indeed dripping in blood. Blood he had been hiding from her that she never took the time to notice. "Sumi? What happened?"

Purple irises shamefully looked into her own as Flynn began removing the cloak, horrified at the squelch it released thanks to the access of blood is was soaked in. "It's from that plant Kesai put into me. I ripped it out and it tore the skin..."

Flynn then succeeded in getting the cloak off, not even hesitating when faced with the young demon's shirt as he quickly removed it as well so he could get a good look at the wound.

The skin was, just as Tsumi had figured, completely torn. Grey stips of skin limp against pink flesh that oozed blood. He bit hard into his lip, feeling the sting of it being exposed to cold air and trying to keep from crying out.

"How long were you going to hide this for?" Flynn asked in awe, reaching for his medical bag.

"I..." The demon looking away with uncertianty. "I don't know..."

The sophomore shook his head, not sure how to lecture the child. If he had been human the infection that would enter his wound would kill him with ease, but being a demon Flynn just wasn't sure how long it would be until the skin and flesh began to heal. "Don't do things like that. It could prove fatal."

Kimiko bit hard into her lip at the idea of her partner dying, clinging onto the purple spellbook with a slight whimper. She could feel the eyes of the dream duo on her, hoping they weren't thinking she was a bad partner for not knowing. He hid it well and was trying to make sure she didn't know.

But being his partner, she should have known.

Kimiko tried to keep herself composed, unable to watch as Flynn began to patch Tsumi up.

.

.

.

"And now, we should question where we are and what became of the others." Cheshire stated as she looked around. Flynn just finished cleaning the poison demon up and had him bandaged, the purple eyes of Tsumi also beginning to scan their surroundings.

It was nothing but a room leading to a rather grand and large door. The room being lit by only a few candles that dimly burned the last bits of wax in the candle holders.

"What do you think is behind the door?" Kimiko asked with a frown.

"A game, probably." Aislinn muttered.

Flynn stood up, looking around. "But what kind of game will it be?"

"If you had my guess," Aislinn blinking her blue green eyes. "A demon, possibly distorted or consumed in madness, but a demon all the same."

Kimiko chewed her lower lip, the skin already having been torn thanks to the nervous nips it had dealt with. "Then we should probably get ready for a fight." Drawing her poison purple spellbook.

"Do you really think the two of you can fight?" Cheshire growled.

The brunette's eyes fell onto Tsumi, seeing the weakness her demon partner was trying to suppress as he flashed her a forced smile. She knew on the inside that the leopard demon was right to say this, but she couldn't bring herself to say this. Probably because allowing Cheshire to be right would be like accepting the weaknesses they were going to have to power through.

It would be like saying they were not powerful enough to take down Xenolith.

"I don't think it matters if we can, there isn't much of an option at this point." Kimiko replied with a gentle sigh. "Fighting isn't a choice, it's something we're going to have to do if we want to survive."

Neither member of the dream duo was willing to argue this point, glancing to one another before looking at the door that stood between them and what they assumed would be the next game they would be forced to play. "Let's just go." Aislinn said as she took her own book from her bag and walked forward with Cheshire and Flynn close by.

"Y-Yeah." The poison bookreader nodded as she followed behind, Tsumi lagging behind his partner.

Without a moment's hesitation, Cheshire opened the doors leading to the next chamber, a surge of light bursting through the open room and burning the eyes of the five people standing at the open mouth.

"Look who came to play~" A young boy's voice filling the ears of the few members of the alliance, still trying to get their eyes adjusted to the harsh amount of light.

And the moment they did, they were greeted by a demon child and his bookreader.

The demon child had messy and windblown black hair and very pale skin. His stormy gray eyes seemed to study the faces of everybody with a smirk, yellow lightning bolt markings under said eyes as the tips reached his cheeks. He wore a black tee with lightning bolts decorating it along with black jean, black and yellow tennis shoes and black fingerless gloves. He folded his arms with a childish giggle. "Hey Luka, look who it is."

The bookreader only seemed to grunt, ice blue eyes silently assessing the situation. He had dark red hair that went down to about his midback which was pulled into a ponytail by a rubber band matching the color of his eyes. He was wearing a red tee with light blue jeans and red and black sneakers.

"Raiden." Cheshire growled.

The demon child giggled. "Nice to see you too, Chesh. Have you missed me?"

All eyes were now on the snow leopard who seemed to be glaring down the lightning demon with quite a bit of annoyance. "Aislinn."

The amnesia stricken girl looked to her demon partner with a serious look in blue-green eyes, opening her book with a nod. "Yumburisu!"

As always the twenty little glowing balls of dream energy formed on each one of Cheshire's digit's, the snow leopard growling as she focused on her energy and glared at Raiden with silver eyes of what the others could only describe as complete annoyance.

"Arashinotate!" Luka opening his own yellow book and reading a spell from it, a cloud appearing out of nowhere and rumbling with electricity. As one of the Yumburisu balls began to fly towards him, the cloud released a powerful and huge bolt of lightning that took the form of an electric wall that was quick to destroy the dream sphere.

"Of course." Cheshire growled, balling her paws into fists.

Kimiko opened her own book, Tsumi smirking as he got ready to use a spell of his own, the fingertips of his partner already having selected the spell for them to use. "Karoat-"

"Stop!"

The poison duo turned to look at the dream duo, Cheshire's silver eyes holding a serious and animalistic glare in them as they scanned Tsumi and then Raiden. "This is not your fight."

"Cheshire," Tsumi trying to find some reason. "You're not going to do this alone, are you?"

"Tsumi." She growled. "This is my fight and my enemy alone."

The purple eyes of the poison demon attempted to glare down the cold silver eyes of who he considered an ally. "And what gives you the right to tell me to stand down?" Kimiko rather shocked that her partner suddenly had the balls to glare Cheshire down and consider challenging somebody who he usually found himself leary or afraid of.

"Back in Demon World, Raiden and I were sparring partners. He's always been cocky and convinced that he is the strongest demon of them all, but I could always beat him in a fight." Cheshire said, folding her arms. "He's been pursuing me since I first beat him back then and I have no doubts that he has been pursuing me up until this point. And if this is the case, I am going to prove to him for the final time that I am superior and it shall remain this way."

"And this means I should let you risk yourself?" Tsumi said, balling his hands into fists. "Just because you have a score to settle doesn't mean I should just let you fight on your own!" The child opening his mouth to say more only to have Kimiko put her hand on his shoulder and shut their spellbook. "K-Kimi?"

"Cheshire, I expect that we'll be watching a good fight." Kimiko said with a smile on her face. "One with our side proving our dominance."

The snow leopard smirked, maybe she could find herself liking this girl a bit more if she could be more submissive and understanding than her partner. "Naturally."

Kimiko then smiled, leading Flynn and Tsumi a bit away from the battle so nobody would be hit by a stray spell, seeing the nervous look in the doctor's heterochromic eyes. "Don't worry, I promise, Aislinn will be okay."

Flynn blushed, glancing away. "Why do you say Aislinn?"

"Come on, I know how you feel." The brunette smiled as she sat down on the sidelines. "But trust me, Aislinn's tougher than most know and I have a feeling she might win this one without batting an eyelash."

Flynn drew in a breath, knowing that the brunette was right about his crush. She was a tough girl and he didn't need to be told this twice, but he'd still rather have it two against the villain, just to make sure the odds were more in their favor. "I know."

At least he was pretty sure he did.

.

.

.

Raiden smirked as he looked over Cheshire, a soft laugh escaping his smug lips. "I've been waiting for the chance to fight you since we first came to the Human World. You weren't easy to find, but when I ran into Xenolith and he promised I would get a chance to seek you out and take you down, I lept to his feet." Continuing to laugh with pride in what he was doing. "And looks like he was right, because I am, getting exactly what I wanted."

Cheshire's silver eyes spitefully looked him over, if they had been lasers they would have melted him long before. The dream bringing leopard looking to her partner. "Aislinn, let's do this quickly."

Her partner nodded as she held onto their white book, knowing Cheshire still had their Yumbarisu spell in play and couldn't help but hope that this would be able to get the job done quickly so they could get out of here and meet up with the others. She wouldn't be dragging the others down.

"Luka." Raiden laughed, holding out his hand.

The red head only wordlessly nodded, holding out his own yellow spellbook with focus in his eyes. "Shokkuebu!"

The dream duo was quick the brace themselves for anything, Cheshire holding out her paws with the idea that the dream spheres would be able to destroy whatever would come forward. However, it seemed that nothing happened.

"L-Look up!" Tsumi shouted suddenly, Cheshire lifting her head to see that cloud from before beginning to rumble and multiply into quite a number of clouds. "What the hell?" The snow leopard hissed, ears flattening against her head.

Raiden began to loudly laugh as the rumbling of the clouds became progressively louder, Aislinn growling as she pulled her spellbook close to her chest with arms protectively over the cover and pages. "Welcome, Chesh and partner, to our own little arena."

Before either of the girls could process what the lightning demon was talking about, the clouds erupted with giant bolts of lightning. Both of them getting ready to duck for cover or get fried only for the bolts to stop a considerable ways from them and begin to form a giant dome that left them with plenty of room to fight but no way to get out.

"Aislinn!" Flynn shouted, Kimiko grabbing his arm to hold him back as he struggled. "What if she gets shocked or hurt!"

"She'll be fine!" The poison bookreader shouted in return, refusing to let go. "Flynn, you know you can't do anything against this demon. We're just going to have to trust her."

The hetrochromic teenager glared at her, freeing his arm. "Why don't you do something to help?"

"It isn't my fight." Kimiko said gently, knowing the uncharacteristic look of anger in his eyes was just because of the worry he felt. She'd probably be the same way if, er, she didn't want to think about it.

"Look, it's going to be alright, now come on, let's sit down again." Kimiko ushering Flynn to the sidelines. "We don't have to watch if you don't want to."

The doctor hesitated, looking to the giant dome now encasing Aislinn and Cheshire with enemies. "Okay."

.

.

.

Cheshire couldn't help but feel that this kind of spell was at least a bit familiar, gazing around at the dome casing them. She had been in something like this before. But that time was different, she couldn't remember hating it.

_Kesai._

That was it, their fight with Lavender. The dream demon looking around with a bit of curiosity in her mind. Kesai's barrier had managed to basically burn their enemy alive when she was pushed into the wall thanks to Kesai's rage. Maybe this would work the same way, that the walls of this dome could shock anybody who came in contact with it. And if it worked just like Kesai's, it could be a curse or a blessing.

_Kesai._

_Badump,_

_Badump,_

_Badump._

The snow leopard drew in a breath, shaking her head at the sensation of some sort of unfamiliar feeling. Kesai? She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt a bit different at the thought of the fire kitsune, but it almost made her feel giddy, something she wasn't used to feeling all too much.

Cheshire shook her head once more, knowing she needed to focus on the fight that she and Aislinn had willingly made a one on one.

"What's wrong, Chesh, has this little spell frightened you?" Raiden laughed, folding his arms in an attempt to look somewhat intimidating.

"Of course not!" The dream demon focusing her energy as silver eyes locked onto the lightning demon she had always seen as nothing but a pain. Slightly baring canine teeth as she threw one of the dream spheres at Raiden.

"Shokku!"

The cocky demon held out his right palm, a powerful wave of electricity erupting from the palm and striking the attack rather quickly. The spells both seemed to explode on impact, creating a powerful sonic boom that pushed everybody in the dome back a bit.

Cheshire looked at the dome's walls, standing up as she looked at the Yumbarisu spheres on her paws. This might not be enough to stop him, clenching her fists as she growled. There wasn't much of an option but to win, they had to.

The snow leopard locked eyes with Raiden, watching him cockily smirk as she bared her teeth with resentment. She was going to destroy him once and for all and prove to him that he wasn't the big shot he thought he was.

She was going to destroy him.


End file.
